U.S. patent application number 10/334484 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-08 for method and means for bagging organic and other material.
Invention is credited to Cullen, Steven R..
Application Number | 20040128953 10/334484 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32680805 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040128953 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cullen, Steven R. |
July 8, 2004 |
Method and means for bagging organic and other material
Abstract
A method and means for bagging organic and other material such
as silage, compost, grain, sawdust, dirt, sand, etc., wherein
plastic sheet material is dispensed from a roll mounted on the
bagging machine so that the sheet material is at least partially
wrapped around the material being bagged as the bagging machine
moves ahead during packing and filling.
Inventors: |
Cullen, Steven R.; (Astoria,
OR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PETER E. HEUSER, ESQ.
KOLISCH HARTWELL, P.C.
200 PACIFIC BUILDIING
520 S.W. YAKIMA STREET
PORTLAND
OR
97204-1324
US
|
Family ID: |
32680805 |
Appl. No.: |
10/334484 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/459 ;
53/567 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01F 2025/145 20130101;
A01F 25/183 20130101; A01F 25/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
053/459 ;
053/567 |
International
Class: |
B65B 009/10 |
Claims
I claim:
1. The method of bagging material, comprising the steps of:
providing a mobile bagging machine having rearward and forward
ends, a material receiving means at the forward end thereof, a
material packing means in communication with said material
receiving means, and a rearwardly extending tunnel means having an
upper end, opposite sides and a lower end; positioning a roll of
flexible plastic sheet material, having opposite ends and opposite
side edges, on said bagging machine; causing said sheet material to
unroll from said roll, as material is forced through said tunnel,
and to pass around said tunnel to at least partially enclose the
material being discharged from said tunnel.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the material comprises organic
material.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said sheet material forms a
bag-like enclosure in which the material is placed.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said side edges of said sheet
material are positioned below the material in the bag-like
enclosure in a horizontally spaced-apart manner.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said side edges of said sheet
material are positioned below the material in the bag-like
enclosure in an overlapping manner.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said overlapping side edges of
said sheet material are sealed together.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said roll is positioned above said
tunnel.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said roll is positioned adjacent
the forward end of said tunnel.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein said roll is positioned in a
horizontally disposed manner.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said roll is disposed
transversely with respect to the direction of movement of the
bagging machine.
11. The method of bagging material, comprising the steps of:
providing a mobile bagging machine having rearward and forward
ends, a material receiving means at the forward end thereof, a
material packing means in communication with said material
receiving means, and atunnel means having an upper end, opposite
sides and a lowepositioning a roll of tubular sheet material on
said bagging machine; causing said tubular sheet material to unroll
from said roll, as material is fsaid tunnel; slitting said tubular
sheet material so as to create a sheet having opposite side
epassing said sheet at least partially around said tunnel to at
least partially enclosematerial being discharged from said
tunnel.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the material comprises organic
material.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein said sheet forms a bag-like
enclosure in which the material is placed.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein said side edges of said sheet
are positioned below the material in the bag-like enclosure in a
horizontally spaced-apart manner.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein said side edges of said sheet
are positioned below the material in the bag-like enclosure in an
overlapping manner.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said overlapping side edges of
said sheet are sealed together.
17. The method of claim 11 wherein said roll is positioned above
said tunnel.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said roll is positioned adjacent
the forward end of said tunnel.
19. The method of claim 11 wherein said roll is positioned in a
horizontally disposed manner.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said roll is disposed
transversely with respect to the direction of movement of the
bagging machine.
21. The method of bagging material, comprising the steps of:
providing a mobile bagging machine having rearward and forward
ends, a material receiving means at the forward end thereof, a
material packing means in communication with said material
receiving means, and a rearwardly extending enclosure; positioning
a roll of flexible plastic sheet material, having opposite ends and
opposite side edges, on said bagging machine; causing said sheet
material to unroll from said roll, as material is forced through
said enclosure, and to pass around said enclosure to at least
partially enclose the material being discharged from said
enclosure.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the material comprises organic
material.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein said sheet material forms a
bag-like enclosure in which the material is placed.
24. The method of claim 23 wherein said side edges of said sheet
material are positioned below the material in the bag-like
enclosure in a horizontally spaced-apart manner.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein said side edges of said sheet
material are positioned below the material in the bag-like
enclosure in an overlapping manner.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein said overlapping side edges of
said sheet material are sealed together.
27. The method of claim 22 wherein said roll is positioned above
said tunnel.
28. The method of claim 27 wherein said roll is positioned adjacent
the forward end of said tunnel.
29. The method of claim 22 wherein said roll is positioned in a
horizontally disposed manner.
30. The method of claim 29 wherein said roll is disposed
transversely with respect to the direction of movement of the
bagging machine.
31. The method of claim 22 wherein the organic material is compost
material.
32. The method of claim 22 wherein the organic material is silage
material.
33. A bagging machine for bagging material, comprising: a mobile
frame means having rearward and forward ends; a material receiving
means on said mobile frame means; a material packing means on said
mobile frame means in communication with said material receiving
means; a rearwardly extending material forming means in
communication with said material packing means; a roll of flexible
plastic sheet material, having opposite ends and opposite side
edges, mounted on said mobile frame means; said sheet material
being pulled from said roll as the bagging machine moves forwardly
during the bagging operation; said sheet material passing at least
partially around said material forming means to at least partially
enclose the material being discharged from said material forming
means.
34. The bagging machine of claim 33 further including a sheet
material guide means.
35. The bagging machine of claim 34 wherein said sheet material
guide means positions said opposite side edges of said sheet
material beneath said material forming means.
36. The bagging machine of claim 34 wherein said sheet material
guide means positions said opposite side edges of said sheet
material beneath said material forming means in a horizontally
spaced-apart relationship.
37. The bagging machine of claim 34 wherein said sheet material
guide means positions said opposite side edges of said sheet
material beneath said material forming means in an overlapping
relationship.
38. The bagging machine of claim 34 wherein said sheet material
guide means comprises guide rollers.
39. The bagging machine of claim 34 wherein said sheet material
guide means comprises guide wheels.
40. The bagging machine of claim 39 wherein said guide wheels are
driven.
41. The bagging machine of claim 38 wherein said guide rollers are
driven.
42. The bagging machine of claim 38 wherein said guide rollers are
positioned beneath said material forming means.
43. The bagging machine of claim 33 wherein said roll of flexible
plastic sheet material is mounted on said mobile frame means above
said material forming means.
44. The bagging machine of claim 43 wherein said roll of flexible
plastic sheet material is mounted at the forward end of said
material forming means.
45. The bagging machine of claim 33 wherein said roll of flexible
plastic sheet material is rotatably mounted on said mobile frame
means.
46. A bagging machine for bagging material, comprising: a mobile
frame means having rearward and forward ends; a material receiving
means on said mobile frame means; a material packing means on said
mobile frame means in communication with said material receiving
means; a rearwardly extending material forming means in
communication with said material packing means; a source of
flexible plastic sheet material, having opposite ends and opposite
side edges, mounted on said mobile frame means; said sheet material
being pulled from said source of flexible plastic sheet material as
the bagging machine moves forwardly during the bagging operation;
said sheet material passing at least partially around said material
forming means to at least partially enclose the material being
discharged from said material forming means.
47. The method of bagging material, comprising the steps of:
providing a mobile bagging machine having rearward and forward
ends, a material receiving means at the forward end thereof, a
material packing means in communication with said material
receiving means, and a rearwardly extending enclosure; positioning
a source of flexible plastic sheet material, having opposite ends
and opposite side edges, on said bagging machine; causing said
sheet material to dispense from said source of flexible plastic
sheet material as material is forced through said enclosure, and to
pass around said enclosure to at least partially enclose the
material being discharged from said enclosure.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a method and means for bagging
organic and other material such as silage, compost, grain, sawdust,
dirt, sand, etc., and more particularly to a method and means for
dispensing plastic sheet material from a roll mounted on a bagging
machine so that the sheet material is at least partially wrapped
around the material being bagged as the bagging machine moves ahead
during packing and filling.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Agricultural feed and compost bagging machines have been
employed for several years to pack or bag silage, compost or the
like into elongated plastic bags. Two of the earliest bagging
machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,061 and 4,046,068.
In prior art bagging machines, silage, compost or the like is
supplied to the forward or intake end of the bagging machine and is
fed to a packing means such as a rotor, plunger, screw conveyor or
the like which conveys the material into a tunnel on which the bag
is positioned so that the bag is filled. As the silage is packed
into the bag, the bagging machine moves away from the filled end of
the bag in a controlled fashion so as to achieve uniform compaction
of the silage material within the bag. The empty elongated plastic
bags are in a folded condition and are initially positioned over
the tunnel or forming means of the machine.
[0005] In the present state of the art, the manufacturers of the
plastic silage/compost bag must blow or extrude the plastic into a
tubular/bag shape, roll it onto a core, fold it into a collar, and
then put the same into a box or container, which is palleted for
convenient shipping. Once the box is delivered to the field, it may
take several men and a crane to lift the bag out of the box and
feed it by hand over and onto the tunnel. The bag is then
laboriously pushed onto the tunnel until the bag is gathered at the
forward end of the tunnel so that the bag is ready for filling and
packing.
[0006] A major disadvantage and cost of the current method of
manufacturing plastic bags for use on bagging machines is the
sophisticated and expensive machinery required by the manufacturers
to fold the bags after the blowing or extruding process. Only a few
manufacturers have such costly machines, who pass the processing
and material costs onto the end user. Secondly, the extra steps
necessary to convert the roll of plastic into a bag, fold the bag
into a box, load the individual boxes into a larger container for
shipping, and then to transport and deliver those boxes to the
consumers adds time, packaging, space requirements, handling
equipment, manpower and disposal costs to the entire process.
[0007] A further problem created by the present method of putting
plastic bags onto a bagging machine is the physical strain and
danger to the men who load the bag onto the tunnel. The newer,
bigger bags (14'.times.500') weigh up to 1200 lbs and the industry
trend is for even larger tunnels and even longer bags.
[0008] There is a need to replace the old process of manufacturing
the bags and the installation of the same on the bagging machines
to reduce manufacturing and handling costs, improve safety and
worker ergonomics, and eliminate the stranglehold a few
manufacturers have on bag distributors and consumers. The purpose
of the instant invention is to do away with the costly pre-folding
of plastic bags and the packaging of one bag per box, which must be
hand-mounted onto the machine, and replace that method with custom
length bags made at the site and which are taken off a master roll
which is self-loaded on the machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A method and means for bagging organic and other material
such as compost, silage, grain, sawdust, dirt, sand, etc., is
described. The method of bagging the material comprises the steps
of: (1) providing a mobile bagging machine having rearward and
forward ends, a material receiving means at the forward end
thereof, a material packing means in communication with the
material receiving means, and a rearwardly extending material
forming or shaping means in the form of a tunnel having an upper
end, opposite sides and a lower end; (2) positioning a roll of
flexible plastic sheet material on the bagging machine; and (3)
causing the sheet material to unroll from the roll, as material is
forced through the tunnel, and to pass around the tunnel to
partially or completely enclose the material being discharged from
the tunnel. The sheet material forms a bag-like enclosure in which
the material is placed. As used herein, the term "bag" refers to a
flexible container or enclosure which extends partially around or
completely around material to partially or completely enclose the
same. The apparatus for performing the method comprises a mobile
frame having rearward and forward ends; a material receiving means
on the mobile frame means; a material packing means on the mobile
frame means in communication with the material receiving means; a
rearwardly extending material forming or shaping means in the form
of a tunnel in communication with the material packing means; a
roll of flexible plastic sheet material mounted on the mobile frame
means. The sheet material is pulled from the roll as the bagging
machine moves forwardly during the bagging operation. The sheet
material passes partially or completely around the material forming
means to at least partially enclose the material being discharged
from the material forming means. Various means for causing the
sheet material to pass around the tunnel and at least partially
beneath the tunnel are disclosed.
[0010] A principal object of the invention is to provide an
improved method for bagging organic or other material which
eliminates the need for purchasing folded bags and installing the
same on the bagging machine.
[0011] Still another object of the invention is to provide a method
and means for bagging organic and other material wherein a roll of
plastic sheet material is mounted on a bagging machine with the
sheet material being pulled from the roll to form a bag-like
enclosure into which the material is placed.
[0012] Yet another object of the invention is to eliminate the need
for positioning folded bags on bagging machines.
[0013] Still another object of the invention is to provide a method
and means which eliminates the need for workmen to manipulate heavy
folded bags.
[0014] Still another object of the invention is to provide a method
and means for bagging organic and other material which is far less
expensive than the bagging of the material in folded bags mounted
on the tunnel of the bagging machine.
[0015] These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to
those skilled in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a bagging machine
having a roll of sheet material mounted thereon with the sheet
material being pulled from the roll to at least partially enclose
the material being bagged;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 except that the roll of
sheet material has been extended around the tunnel;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one form of the sheet
material;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another form of the sheet
material;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the means for
supporting the roll of sheet material on the bagging machine;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a rear view of the bagging machine;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a rear view of the bagging machine illustrating
the side edges of the sheet material being spaced-apart;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 except that the side
edges of the sheet material have been overlapped;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a partial side view illustrating the manner in
which the sheet material is passed through guide rollers so that
the sheet material moves towards the centerline of the tunnel;
[0026] FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of a modified form of the
guide roller means;
[0027] FIG. 12 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 11;
[0028] FIG. 13A is a partial rear perspective view of one
embodiment for smoothing out the sheet material as it passes around
the tunnel;
[0029] FIG. 13B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 3A;
[0030] FIG. 14A is a rear perspective view illustrating a second
means for smoothing out the sheet material as it passes around the
tunnel;
[0031] FIG. 14B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 14A;
[0032] FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating another embodiment for
moving or guiding the sheet material beneath the lower end of the
tunnel;
[0033] FIG. 16 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 15;
[0034] FIG. 17 is a sectional view illustrating the material having
been partially enclosed in the sheet material; and
[0035] FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 17 except that the
material has been completely enclosed within the sheet
material.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0036] The numeral 10 refers to a bagging machine such as
manufactured by Versa Corporation, Astoria, Oreg. The bagging
machine is intended to bag organic material such as compost,
silage, grain, sawdust, etc., within a conventional bag. The
machine 10 may also be used to bag dirt or sand to create temporary
dikes during flooding. Machine 10 is seen to include a wheeled
frame 12 having a forwardly extending tongue or hitch 14 adapted to
be connected to a prime mover such as a tractor, truck, etc. Gear
box 16 is provided on frame 12 and is driven by a PTO shaft 18
connected to the PTO on the tractor. Although frame 12 shown in the
drawings is wheeled, it is possible that the wheels could be
omitted. Further, the machine 10 could be truck-mounted such as
seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,865. Additionally, the machine 10 could
be self-propelled such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,472.
For purposes of description, machine 10 will be described as having
a forward end 20 and a rearward end 22. Machine 10 is provided with
a material receiving means 24 at its forward end which may be in
the form of: (1) a feed table such as seen in U.S. Pat. No.
5,297,377; (2) a hopper such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,736;
(3) a feed mechanism such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,763; (4)
a feed mechanism such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,860; or (5) a
hopper such as seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,140,802; 5,419,102; and
5,724,793. The purpose of the material receiving means is to
receive the material to be bagged and deliver the same to a
material packing means 26 positioned at the forward end of a
material shaping or forming means. The material packing means may
be: (1) a rotor such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,396,753;
5,297,377; 5,799,472; 5,295,554; (2) a screw conveyor such as seen
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,140,802 or 5,419,102; (3) a plunger such as
seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,793; or (4) the packing fingers
described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,061.
[0037] The material forming or shaping means is preferably a tunnel
28. The size (diameter) of the tunnel 28 will depend on the desired
bag diameter. A face plate 30 is normally secured to the forward
end of the tunnel with the face plate 30 being secured to the frame
of the machine. In some machines, the face plate is permanently
mounted on the machine with the tunnel being secured to the face
plate. Various tunnels are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,899,247;
5,396,753; 5,297,377; 5,799,472; 5,398,736; 5,355,659; 5,295,554;
5,140,802; 5,419,102; 5,421,142; 5,724,793; 5,894,713. Normally,
the tunnel 28 will include a top wall 32, side walls 34 and 36, and
at least a partial bottom wall 38. Face plate 30 includes an
opening 40 through which the material passes to the interior of the
tunnel when a rotor is utilized as the packing means. If plungers,
screw conveyors, etc., are utilized as the packing means, the face
plate may or may not be included and opening 40 will be omitted.
The design of the material receiving means, packing means, frame
and forming means do not form a part of the instant invention. The
purpose of the instant invention is to pull plastic sheet material
from a roll or container mounted on the machine and to wrap that
sheet material at least partially around the forming means to form
a bag or bag-like enclosure for the material being bagged as the
machine moves forward during the bagging operation.
[0038] As seen in the drawings, a support 42 is secured to the
machine 10 and extends upwardly therefrom adjacent the forward end
of the tunnel 28 for rotatably supporting a roll 44 of plastic
sheet material 46 thereon. Although the roll 44 is preferably
positioned as shown in the drawings, the roll could be positioned
at other locations on the machine 10. It is preferred that the roll
44 be enclosed in a housing or canister for cosmetic purposes. The
sheet material 46 will normally be folded in a tube-like shape such
as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The sheet material 46 in FIG. 4 is what
would be termed a single fold including a front layer 48 and a back
layer 50. Preferably, the front layer is slit at 52 at the factory
to form front layer portions 48a and 48b. If front layer 48 is not
pre-slit at the factory, a slitting device 53 will be provided on
the support 42 or machine 10 to slit the front layer 48 into front
layer or sheet portions 48a and 48b (FIG. 6).
[0039] Usually, the sheet material 46 on roll 44 will be
multi-layered, such as seen in FIG. 5, with a front layer 54, back
layer 56, and side gusset layers 58 and 60 therebetween.
Preferably, front layer 54 is slit at 62 at the factory to form
front layers 54a and 54b. If the layer 54 is not pre-slit, the
slitting device 53 will be utilized to slit the front layer 54 into
front layer portions 54a and 54b as the sheet material is pulled
from the roll 44. The invention will be described as if the sheet
material 46 on roll 44 is multilayered. Although it is preferred
that the sheet material is dispensed from a roll, the sheet
material could be dispensed from a box or container much like
garbage bags are dispensed.
[0040] A pan 64 or other suitable support is positioned below the
forward end of the tunnel 28 and has rollers 66, 68, 70 and 72
rotatably mounted thereon. Although four rollers are illustrated,
more or less rollers could be utilized. Rollers 74, 76, 78 and 80
are rotatably mounted on the underside of floor 38 of tunnel 28 or
other suitable support above rollers 66, 68, 70 and 72,
respectively, with the peripheries thereof being in engagement with
each other. Although four rollers are illustrated, more or less
rollers could be utilized. The number of rollers on the underside
of floor 38 will correspond to the number of rollers on pan 64.
Preferably the rollers 74, 76, 78 and 80 are angled inwardly
somewhat with respect to the centerline of the tunnel so as to
guide the sheet material 46 inwardly towards the centerline of the
tunnel as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
[0041] A second embodiment for guiding the sheet material 46
beneath the tunnel 28 towards the centerline of the tunnel 28 is
illustrated in FIGS. 11-12. In the embodiment of FIGS. 11-12, a
protective tongue or shield 82 extends rearwardly from bottom wall
38 of tunnel 28. Elongated rollers 84 and 86 are rotatably mounted
beneath tongue 82 with the peripheries thereof being in engagement
with each other. As viewed in FIG. 12, rollers 84 and 86 are driven
in a counterclockwise direction by any suitable means. A pair of
elongated rollers 88 and 90 are also rotatably mounted beneath
tongue 82 with the peripheries thereof being in engagement with
each other. As viewed in FIG. 12, rollers 88 and 90 are rotated or
driven in a clockwise direction by any suitable means.
[0042] A third embodiment for guiding the sheet material 46 beneath
the tunnel towards the centerline of the tunnel 28 is illustrated
in FIGS. 15 and 16. In the embodiment of FIGS. 15 and 16, rotatable
wheels replace the rollers such as seen in FIGS. 7-9. A pair of
small wheels 92 and 94 replace the rollers 74 and 66 and a pair of
small wheels 96 and 98 replace the rollers 76 and 68. Similarly, a
pair of small wheels 92' and 94' replace the rollers 80 and 82 and
a pair of small wheels 96' and 98' replace the rollers 78 and 70.
Although four pairs of small wheels are shown, any number of pairs
of wheels could be utilized. Wheels 92, 96 and 92', 96' are
rotatably secured to floor 38 while wheels 94, 98 and 94', 98' are
rotatably secured to pan 64 or other suitable support. Wheels 92,
94 are in engagement with one another, as viewed in FIG. 16, with
driven wheel 92 being in engagement with wheel 94. Wheel 92 is
rotatably driven by any convenient means so that rotation of wheel
92 also causes wheel 94 to be rotatably driven. The peripheries of
wheels 96 and 98 are in engagement with one another in the same
manner as wheels 92 and 94 with wheel 96 being driven thereby also
causing wheel 98 to rotate. Wheels 92', 94', 96' and 98' are
similarly mounted and driven.
[0043] FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate a means for "sizing" the sheet
material as it passes over the tunnel. FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate
a means for "smoothing out" the sheet material as it passes over
the tunnel. In FIGS. 13A and 13B, a substantially U-shaped member
100 having a shroud 101 secured thereto extends around the tunnel
with the sheet material passing thereover. The member 100 and the
rearward end of shroud 101 are selectively vertically adjusted by
an adjustment means 101A (FIG. 13B) to adjust the size of the
shroud and the bag passing thereover. In FIGS. 14A and 14B, a
plurality of balls or rollers 102 are rotatably mounted on a
flexible cable 104 or the like with the balls or rollers 102 being
in engagement with the exterior surface of tunnel 28. The rotation
of the balls smoothes out the sheet material as the sheet material
passes between the balls and the tunnel.
[0044] To summarize somewhat, it can be seen that a novel means has
been provided for dispensing plastic sheet material from a roll
mounted on a bagging machine so that the sheet material is at least
partially wrapped around the material being bagged as the bagging
machine moves ahead during packing and filling. The plastic sheet
material is pulled from the roll and is positioned around the
tunnel and at least partially beneath the tunnel so that the sheet
material forms a bag-like enclosure which either completely
encloses the material, as illustrated in FIG. 18, by overlapping
the edges of the sheet material or which partially encloses the
material as illustrated in FIG. 17. The rollers or wheels provided
beneath the tunnel ensures that the sheet material will be pulled
beneath the material being bagged so that the sheet material will
form the bag-like enclosures of FIGS. 17 an 18. The instant
invention eliminates the need for purchasing folded bags which
extremely expensive, heavy and difficult to mount on the tunnel as
noted in the description of the related art hereinabove.
[0045] Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least
all of its stated objectives.
* * * * *