U.S. patent number 3,578,141 [Application Number 04/761,053] was granted by the patent office on 1971-05-11 for filled bag shifting device with bag turner.
Invention is credited to Robert T. Sheehan.
United States Patent |
3,578,141 |
Sheehan |
May 11, 1971 |
FILLED BAG SHIFTING DEVICE WITH BAG TURNER
Abstract
Pivotally mounted above the framework of a power-driven
horizontal endless belt conveyor is a power-driven vertical endless
belt bag shifting device adapted to be swung over the horizontal
belt conveyor for engagement with filled bags proceeding
therealong. Such engagement causes the bag shifting belt to carry
the bags across the horizontal conveyor to a discharge ramp or
other points of disposal or further transfer. Where it is desired
to turn vertically standing bags around their vertical axes as they
proceed along the horizontal conveyor, a bag turner is mounted
above and on the opposite side of the horizontal conveyor from the
vertical bag shifting belt device, the ribbed or otherwise
roughened surface of which acts as a fulcrum engaging and retarding
the forward travel of one side of the bag while the endless
vertical bag shifting belt swings the other side of the bag in a
forward direction so as to turn the bag through an angle of
approximately 90.degree..
Inventors: |
Sheehan; Robert T. (Livonia,
MI) |
Family
ID: |
25060970 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/761,053 |
Filed: |
September 20, 1968 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
198/415 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G
47/766 (20130101); B65G 47/244 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65G
47/24 (20060101); B65G 47/244 (20060101); B65G
47/74 (20060101); B65G 47/76 (20060101); B65g
047/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;198/33 (R2)/
;198/165,202,188 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Forlenza; Gerald M.
Assistant Examiner: Abraham; George F.
Claims
I claim:
1. A device adapted to operate cooperably with a moving conveyor
for shifting relatively to the conveyor the positions of bags
traveling therealong, said device comprising
a support adapted to be positioned adjacent the conveyor,
an elongated structure mounted on said support and adapted to
extend over the conveyor in the path of travel of bags traveling
thereon,
said elongated structure being pivotally mounted on said support
for swinging laterally relatively thereto in a substantially
horizontal path,
a pair of rotary members rotatably mounted on said elongated
structure with their axes of rotation disposed vertically in
horizontally spaced parallel relationship,
an endless bag shifting belt trained around said rotary members and
having a bag gripping surface thereon,
a motor drivingly connected to one of said rotary members,
and a stationary bag turner mounted on the opposite side of the bag
travel path on the conveyor in spaced relationship to said bag
shifting belt and having a bag gripping portion thereon disposed in
fulcrum relationship to the bags being moved by said belt,
said bag turner including a stationary horizontally elongated
member adapted to be disposed approximately parallel to the
direction of travel of the conveyor.
2. A bag shifting device, according to claim 1, wherein a
horizontally adjustable bracket structure is adapted to be mounted
adjacent the conveyor, and wherein said horizontally elongated
member is mounted on said bracket structure.
3. A bag shifting device, according to claim 1, wherein said bag
turner also includes an end portion disposed at an obtuse angle to
said horizontally elongated member.
Description
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of a filled
bag shifting device installed above a horizontal bag-transport
conveyor;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1, with a bag turner added, where
it is desired also to turn standing bags around their vertical
axes;
FIG. 3 is a cross section upon an enlarged scale, taken along the
line 3-3 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic top plan view showing the operation of the
filled bag shifting device in ejecting horizontal filled bags from
the bag transport conveyor; and
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic top plan view showing the operation of the
bag shifting device with the bag turner added for turning
upstanding filled bags around their vertical axes.
Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows somewhat
diagrammatically a filled bag shifting device, generally designated
10, as installed upon and above a horizontal bag conveyor,
generally designated 12. The horizontal main bag conveyor 12 is of
conventional design and hence is shown as consisting of a framework
14 having horizontally extending opposite side members 16 mounted
on legs 18 and interconnected by the usual cross members (not
shown). The opposite ends of the side members 16, which are
inwardly facing channel members with their webs disposed vertically
(FIG. 3), rotatably support the shafts 20 of belt conveyor drums 22
(only one of which is shown in FIG. 1). The shaft 20 of the
conveyor drum 22 at one end of the conveyor 14 is adjustably
mounted in bearing brackets 24 which are slidably mounted in fixed
brackets 26 bolted or otherwise secured to the side members 16 and
carrying internally threaded bosses 28 through which pass adjusting
screws 30 engaging abutments 32 on the sliding brackets 24 for
adjusting the tension and taking up the slack in a horizontal main
endless conveyor belt 34 mounted on the drum 22.
Bolted as at 36 to one of the main conveyor frame side members 16
is a slotted vertically slidable bag shifting support bracket 38
(FIG. 1) having a tubular midportion 40 in which is mounted the
lower end of a pivot shaft 42 upon which is adjustably mounted a
stop collar 44 adjustably secured thereto by a set screw 46.
Pivotally mounted on the pivot shaft 42 to swing to and fro thereon
is the tubular member 45 of an elongated structure 48 consisting of
a pair of oppositely facing shallow vertical channel members 50
preferably rolled from heavy sheet steel and interconnected at top
and bottom by cross members 52 (FIG. 3) and at their inwardly
grooved midportions 54 by intermediate cross members 56.
Slidably mounted upon the upper and lower cross members 52 at the
outer end of the elongated structure 48 are oppositely facing
offset arms 58 to which are bolted or otherwise secured oppositely
facing bearing blocks 60. Rotatably mounted in the bearing blocks
60 is the supporting shaft 62 of a rotary idler drum member 64
having a central cross disc 66 (FIG. 1) to which a collar 68 on the
shaft 62 is secured. The conveyor drum 64 has a central groove 70.
The arms 58 are adjusted in a conventional manner by screws 72
threaded through bosses 74 on the cross members 52 (FIG. 2).
Rotatably but nonadjustably mounted on the structure 48 at the
opposite end thereof are bearing blocks 76 and 78 which rotatably
support the drive shaft 80 of a rotary power-driven bag shifting
belt drum member 82 connected to the shaft 80 in a similar manner
to the connection of the shaft 62 to the idler drum 64. The drum
82, like the idler drum 64, is provided with a central groove 85.
The lower bearing block 78 is mounted on the outer end of an arm or
plate 84 which projects rearwardly from and is welded or otherwise
secured to the lower end of the tubular member 45 of the conveyor
boom 48. The tubular member 45 is welded or otherwise secured to
and between the shallow channel side members 50 of the conveyor
boom 48.
Bolted or otherwise secured to the top of the elongated structure
40 near the rearward end thereof is an angle bracket 86 to which is
bolted the reduction gear box 88 of a speed-reducing electric motor
unit 90, the output shaft 92 of which is coupled at 94 to the drive
shaft 80. Trained around the rotary power-driven and idler drum
members 82 and 64 respectively is an endless bag shifting belt 96
having a roughened surface 98 and having a V-belt portion 100
integral with the inner surface 102 thereof. The V-belt portion 100
engages the grooves 70 and 85 of the idler drum member 64 and
power-driven drum member 82 respectively. In addition to enhancing
the driving engagement of the belt 96, the V-belt portion 100 keeps
the bag shifting belt 96 in line and prevents it from moving
endwise along the drums 64 and 82. The outer surface 98 of the bag
shifting belt 96 is roughened by being provided with small
projecting nubs 104 (FIG. 3) which increase its frictional grip on
the bags. The belts 34 and 96 are preferably made from elastic
deformable material, such as the synthetic rubber sold and known
generally throughout the trade as Neoprene and manufactured by the
E. I. Du Pont de Nemours Co. of Wilmington, Delaware.
To turn the bags being conveyed while they are moving along in
upstanding or vertical positions, the bag turner 110 is added
(FIGS. 2, 3 and 5) to form a bag shifter-turner, generally
designated 115. In this instance, the bag shifting device 10 is
disposed at a relatively small acute angle to the direction of
travel of the belt 34 of the main conveyor 12 (FIG. 5). The bag
turner 110 is mounted on the opposite side frame member 16 from
that which carries the bracket 38 and for this purpose is provided
with a pair of angle brackets 112, each of which has a vertical
slot 114 therein adapted to receive a bolt 116 in the web 118
thereof. The bolts 116 are mounted in holes 120 in the side member
16 and serve the purpose, when loosened, of enabling the angle
brackets 112 to be raised or lowered for adaptability to the
heights of the particular bags to be turned. The angle brackets 112
are formed of angle bar stock, the flanges 122 and 124 of the
vertical and horizontal arms 126 and 128 respectively being notched
to provide a diagonal junction 130 (FIG. 3) between the two arms
126 and 128 when they are bent together at right angles to one
another. The horizontal or upper arm 128 in its web 132 is drilled
to receive a bolt 134 which extends through an elongated slot 136
in an arm 138 of angle bar stock which slidably engages the web 132
of one of the angle brackets 112. There are two of the arms 138
(FIG. 2) bolted to the two angle brackets 112 so as to both slide
and swing relatively thereto.
The forward end of each arm 138 is drilled to receive a bolt 140
which passes through the alignedly drilled foot or tab 142 of an
angle strut 144, the vertical portion 146 of which is welded or
otherwise secured to the back surfaces of end portions 148 of a bag
turning plate 150 (FIG. 2) to the central portion 152 of which the
end portions 148 are inclined at obtuse angles. Bonded or otherwise
secured to the front surface of the bag turning plate 150 is a
facing 154 of elastic deformable material, such as synthetic
rubber, for example, the same synthetic rubber as is used for the
bag shifting belt 96. The front surface 156 of the facing 154 is
preferably roughened or corrugated to enhance it gripping action on
the bags being turned. The multiple diamond-shaped rib pattern (not
shown) has been found satisfactory for this purpose.
In the operation of the invention, let it first be assumed that the
apparatus is to be used solely for the ejection of bags lying
horizontally upon the horizontally moving belt 34 of the main
conveyor 12, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, so that the bags B are not
required to be turned. Let it also be assumed that the bags are to
be ejected from the main conveyor 12 to a ramp 160 extending
downward from the main conveyor belt 34. To accomplish this
purpose, the elongated structure 48 of the bag shifting device 10
is swung transversely to the direction of travel of the main
conveyor belt 34 and that the bag shifting belt 96 is caused to
travel in a clockwise direction around its drums 64 and 82. The
motor 90 is then started in operation to cause the diverter
conveyor belt 96 to travel in its orbital path, as indicated by the
right-hand arrow in FIG. 4. Let it also be assumed that the main
conveyor belt 34 is traveling from left to right in the direction
of the left-hand arrow of FIG. 4 and that filled bags B have been
placed thereon and are traveling from left to right, as indicated
in FIG. 4.
As the bottom of each bag B collides with the laterally moving belt
96 of the bag shifting device 10, it is engaged by the nubs 104
thereon and pulled laterally in the direction of travel thereof,
passing through the dotted line position of FIG. 4 to the solid
line position shown at the top of FIG. 4, and is ejected in a
direction at right angles to its original direction of travel, as
indicated by the middle or top arrow in FIG. 4. Instead of the ramp
160 as the terminal location for the bags B, it will be understood
that a transverse conveyor (not shown) may receive the diverted
bags for conveyance to a further location of disposal.
The bags B may be made of any suitable flexible material, such as
paper, burlap or other fabric, or synthetic plastic. The present
invention successfully handles and shifts all types of bags,
regardless of the material of which they are made, and the slippery
synthetic plastic bags which were previously impossible to shift
mechanically on a large scale, other than manually, are easily
diverted by the bag shifting device 10 of the present invention. At
the same time, the bags B are not torn or otherwise damaged and the
material contained in them is thus not spilled or harmed. All types
of granular material are successfully handled in bags conveyed and
shifted by the bag shifting device 10.
If it is desired to turn filled upstanding bags S, the bag turner
attachment 110 is mounted on the side member 16 of the frame 14 of
the main conveyor 12 in the manner described above and the bag
shifting conveyor 10 swung to make a small acute angle with the
main conveyor belt 34, as shown in FIG. 5. The turning plate 150 of
the bag turner 110 is then adjusted by moving its arms 138 inward
or outward in the manner described above until the space between
the central portion of its facing 154 and the bag shifting belt 96
immediately after it has rounded the idler drum 64 (FIG. 5) is
slightly less than the transverse thickness T of the bags S, the
contents of which are assumed to be at least slightly compressible
or displaceable.
Ordinarily, the bags S will be traveling in an upright position
after being filled by a conventional filling machine (not shown)
and their tops P will have been closed by sewing, sealing or the
like. The bags during filling are deposited on the main conveyor
belt 34 with their longitudinal thicknesses L disposed in the
direction of travel of the belt 34 and in this orientation they
enter the space between the bag turner attachment 110 and the
diverter conveyor 10 (FIG. 5). As the facing 154 of the bag turning
plate 150 is stationary but roughened, it frictionally grips and
halts the adjacent side of the bag S and acts as a fulcrum while
the opposite side thereof is gripped by the roughened surface
formed by the nubs 104 on the bag shifting belt 96 and is carried
to the right.
This action rotates the bag S in a counterclockwise direction
around its vertical axis as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG.
5. At the same time, the transverse thickness T of the bag S is
temporarily deformed slightly to accommodate the bag S to the
varying width of the space between the turner attachment 110 and
the bag shifting device 10. As a result of this action, and of the
cooperation between the stationary bag turner 110, the moving
conveyor 12 and the moving bag shifting belt 96 of the bag shifting
device 10, the bags S are rotated one by one from their
longitudinal positions at the left-hand end of FIG. 5 to the
transverse positions at the right-hand end thereof.
This turning of the bags S from longitudinal to transverse
positions imparts greater stability to them and prevents them from
falling sidewise with consequent interruption in the operation of
the main conveyor 12 and possible damage to the bags S and their
contents. The bag shifter-turner 115 shown in FIG. 5 has the
further advantage of enabling the bags S to be deposited in
horizontal positions as shown in FIG. 4 upon the main conveyor belt
34 with the tops P either at the forward end or rearward end of the
bags S.
If the tops P of the bags S are to face forward on the belt 34, a
cross bar (not shown) is mounted above and near the belt 34 so that
the bags S first engage it near their bottoms while their tops P
continue to move forward, whereupon the bags fall forward onto the
belt 34. If, on the other hand, the tops P of the bags S are to
face rearward, the cross bar is mounted at a greater height above
the belt 34 so as to engage the upper portion of each bag S and
push it backward as the bag S travels first against and then
beneath the cross bar and falls backward.
* * * * *