Bag closing method and apparatus

Abstract

A system of closing thermoplastic bags about garments or the like is disclosed wherein the bags are closed at a predetermined distance behind the garment in the bag. Bagged garments move along a horizontal belt conveyor system, and a tiltable belt conveyor is biased toward engagement with the horizontal belt conveyor and urges the air out of the bag and functions as a sensing means to sense the presence of a bagged garment moving along the horizontal conveyor toward a bag closing station and to actuate the bag closing mechanism. A second sensing means is located beyond the closing station and determines when the garment within the bag has cleared the closing station and functions to prevent the closing apparatus from engaging the garment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When garments are sold to the retail customer, it is frequently desirable to sell the individual garments in closed transparent packages so that each garment can be wrapped in its package at the manufacturer's plant and subsequently handled by the various employees both in the manufacturer's plant and in the retail store and ultimately by the potential customer without soiling or otherwise damaging the garment. The transparent package allows the garment to be inspected at any time for color, style, etc. by the employees and by the retail customer without opening the transparent package. While the wrapping of garments in transparent packages is particularly desirable for garments which are furnished in predetermined sizes, such as men's shirts, since garments of this type customarily are not removed from the package by the customer until after the customer leaves the retail store, the prepackaging of garments is also desirable in catalog sales, where garments are delivered directly to the customer without having the customer open the package before delivery. For example, precuffed slacks are tagged with the proper labels which indicate size, type of fabric, washing instructions and trademark, each pair of slacks is folded and wrapped in transparent packages at the manufacturer's plant, the packaged slacks are shipped to a catalog sales company and placed in inventory at the catalog sales company, and ultimately the slacks are individually shipped to the retail customer without opening the package. During each handling step and during the entire period in which the garment remains in the stockroom, the garment is protected from damage or deterioration due to handling, or to environmental dust and moisture. This enables the catalog sales company to purchase and store large quantities of garments, possibly at substantial savings, without hazard of garment deterioration while the garments are in storage. Moreover, if the retail customer receiving the garment determines that the garment is the wrong size, color or style, it is possible that the customer will return the garment to the catalog sales company without having opened the transparent wrapper. Thus, the garment will be returned in an undamaged condition in which it is suitable for subsequent reshipping to another customer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, the present invention comprises a garment bag closing method and apparatus, wherein transparent thermoplastic garment bags each having a garment inserted therein is closed and sealed about the garment, with the sealed bag having dimensions compatible with the garment. A horizontal conveyor system moves a series of bags having garments therein along a processing path, a first garment sensing means detects the presence of a garment moving along the path and toward a bag closing station and presses the bag to expel the air from the bag, a second garment sensing means detects the movement of the garment across the bag closing station, and a bag closing device closes and seals the bag about the garment a predetermined distance behind the garment and expels the cutaway portion of the bag from the path.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for closing bags about garments in an automatic, continual and rapid system, and forming the closed bag with inside dimensions compatible with the garment contained therein.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the garment closing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the garment closing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now in more detail to the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts in the two views, FIG. 1 discloses bag closing apparatus 10 which includes support frame 11 and conveyor tables 12 and 13. A plurality of conveyor tapes 15 extend about conveyor table 12, and about rollers 16 and 17 mounted on frame 11 at the ends of conveyor table 12. Conveyor table 12, tapes 15 and rollers 16 and 17 comprise a first belt conveyor means, and the upper flights of each of the conveyor tapes 15 comprise an upper flight of the first belt conveyor means 18. A plurality of conveyor tapes 19 extend about conveyor table 13 and about conveyor rollers 20 and 21 at the ends of conveyor table 13. Conveyor table 13, the plurality of conveyor tapes 19 and conveyor rollers 20 and 21 thus comprise a second belt conveyor means 22, and the upper flights of the conveyor tapes 19 comprise the upper flight of the second belt conveyor means. The upper flights of the first and second belt conveyor means 18 and 22 are in approximately the same horizontal plane.

Driving motor 24 is mounted on support frame 11 and its driving belts 25 and 26 are connected to the ends of conveyor rollers 17 and 20, respectively. Driving motor 24 operates continuously to continuously move the upper flights of the belt conveyor means in the direction indicated by arrow 28, and any objects placed on the belt conveyor means are therefore urged along a predetermined linear path.

Bag closing station 30 is located generally between belt conveyor means 18 and 22. Tiltable belt conveyor means 31 is positioned over first belt conveyor means 18 and comprises frame 32, driven roller 33, movable roller 34, and a plurality of conveyor tapes 35 extending about rollers 33 and 34. Frame 32 is mounted on axle 36 of driving roller 33, and axle 36 is rotatably supported by end blocks 38 at opposite sides of support frame 11. Roller 33 is driven by belt 39 from the end of conveyor roller 17 of first belt conveyor means 18. Since the axle 36 of conveyor roller 33 is offset to one end of frame 32, the titable belt conveyor means is biased by gravity downwardly in a clockwise direction about axle 36 so that its movable roller 34 and its tapes normally ride on the conveyor tapes 15 of first belt conveyor means 18. The conveyor tapes 35 of tiltable belt conveyor means 31 are driven so that the lower flights of each of the tapes 35 are driven in approximately the same direction as the flights of conveyor tapes 15, and the size of the driving sheaves, the diameter of the rollers and the other elements of the system are formed so that the linear speed of the lower flights of conveyor tapes 35 of the tiltable belt conveyor means 31 is approximately the same as the linear speed of the upper flight of the conveyor tapes 15 of first belt conveyor means 18. The arrangement is such that when an open bag containing a garment or other object is placed on first belt conveyor means 18 with the open end of the bag following or trailing the garment, the bag and garment will pass between first belt conveyor means 18 and tiltable belt conveyor means 31, and the tiltable belt conveyor means will tilt or pivot in a counterclockwise direction to raise up and allow the passage of the garment and its bag. The weight of the tiltable belt conveyor means tends to expel the excess air out of the bag since it compresses the bag.

Bag closing station 30 is located approximately between conveyor tape rollers 17 and 20 at the ends of first and second belt conveyor means 18 and 22, and includes stationary platen 41 mounted on support frame 11 and closing member 42 movable generally in downward and upward directions into and out of contact with platen 41 and the bags moving across the platen. The platen 41 defines upwardly facing slot 43 which extends along its length and across the direction of movement of the objects moving along the bag closing apparatus, and the forward surface 44 of the platen is beveled. The upper surface of platen 41 is approximately in the plane of the upper flights of first and second belt conveyor means 18 and 22.

Closing member 42 comprises hot wire 46 (FIG. 2) supported at its ends on tiltable frame 47. The tiltable frame 47 includes a cross bar 48 from which hot wire is supported, and movable shield 49 is connected to cross bar 48 by means of threaded screws 50 and coil compression springs 51. Shield 49 is approximately H-shaped, with the threaded screws fitting through slots in the cross bar of the H-shaped shield, and the coil compression springs 51 are positioned between the caps of the screws and the cross bar of the H-shaped shield, to bias the shield against cross bar 48. The lower-extremities of the legs of the H-shaped shield therefore extend downwardly on opposite sides of hot wire 46.

Tucking blade 54 is connected to the forward portion of shield 49. Tucking blade 54 is approximately Z-shaped, with one leg of the Z being connected to shield 49 and the other leg of the blade forming a space forwardly of shield 49 and extending downwardly below the lower extremity of shield 49. Apertured air conduit 56 is positioned in the space 55 between tucking blade 54 and shield 49. The apertures of apertured air conduit 56 face in a downward direction. A flexible hose 58 communicates with one end of air conduit 56.

Tiltable frame 47 is mounted on support frame 11 and arranged to oscillate or rock about fulcrum 60, so that bag closing member 42 is movable downwardly toward engagement with platen 41 and upwardly away from the platen. The spacing of the side legs of the H-shaped movable shield 49 is approximately the same as the spacing of the top surface of platen 41 on opposite sides of its slot 43, so that the movable shield 49 engages platen 41 when the bag closing member 42 is in its down position. Coil compression springs 51 allow the movable shield 49 to terminate its movement when it rests on platen 41, while hot wire 46 is able to continue a short distance with the continued movement of the tiltable frame 47, so that hot wire 46 is movable from inside the confines of movable shield 49 down into the slot 43 of platen 41.

Safety bar 62 is of approximately U-shaped configuration, and its side legs 63 are pivotally connected at their ends to tiltable frame 47, and its crossleg 64 is located adjacent bag closing member 42. Magnet 65 is located with its upper surfaces approximately in the plane of movement of the upper flights of first and second belt conveyor means 18 and 22. Magnet 65 is also located at a position beneath crossbar 64 of safety bar 62, so that when safety bar 62 pivots in a downward direction, crossbar 64 will be moved toward engagement with magnet 65. Crossbar 64 is of a ferrous material, and magnet 65 will tend to hold crossbar 64 in a down position and thus function as a retaining means for holding the safety bar 62 in its down position. Safety bar 62 is normally held in an up position, as illustrated, by rem 67 which is mounted on tiltable frame 47 and has its plunger distended beneath a sideleg 63 of safety bar 62. When ram 67 is actuated, safety bar 62 will be allowed to drop by gravity to its down position toward engagement with magnet 65.

A control system is provided for operating the system and comprises actuating switch 69 mounted on support frame 11 at a position where it is engageable by the downward movement of tiltable belt conveyor means 31. Actuating switch 69 is electrically connected to timer 70, and timer 70 is electrically connected to solenoid valve 71. Solenoid valve 71 controls the flow of air pressure from source 72 toward ram 67 through supply conduits 73 and 74. Safety switch 75 is mounted on support frame 11 and is positioned beneath a portion of safety bar 62 so that when safety bar 62 moves in a downward direction toward engagement with magnet 65, safety switch 75 closes. Safety switch 75 is electrically connected to timer 76, and timer 76 is electrically connected to solenoid valve 77. Solenoid valve 77 controls the flow of air from source 72 through conduits 73, 78 and 79, toward and away from double-acting ram 80. Ram 80 is connected to yoke 81, and yoke 81 is connected to the side legs of tiltable frame 47. Tiltable frame 47 also includes counterweight 82 on the side of the its fulcrum away from bag closing member 41, to assist in the balancing of the tiltable frame and the components which it supports. Air control valve 84 is mounted on support frame 11 and is located at a position where it is engaged and opened by the counterclockwise tilting movement of tiltable frame 47, so that the downward movement of bag closing member 42 functions to supply air from source 72 through conduits 85 and 58 toward apertured conduit 56 of bag closing member 42.

Bag selvage slide 87 is located beneath bag closing station 30 and is angled in a downward incline to allow the cut away portions from the bags to move at an angle toward a collection container 88 below the bag closing apparatus 10.

The machine operator supplies the bag closing apparatus 10 with a series of garments or similar objects 90 inside transparent thermoplastic bags 91. For example, the garments in the bags 91 might comprise folded slacks. The bags are placed on first belt conveyor means 18 with the open end 92 of the bags trailing or following the garment 90 along the linear path of movement across the first and second belt conveyor means. As each garment moves toward bag closing station 30, it passes beneath tiltable belt conveyor 31. The weight of the tiltable belt conveyor tends to compress the bag and garment and therefore expel any excess air from the bag to its rearwardly facing open end. The presence of a garment passing across the first belt conveyor means 18 causes the tiltable belt conveyor means to tilt in a counterclockwise direction outwardly away from the first belt conveyor means. When the garment has cleared tiltable belt conveyor means 31, the tiltable belt conveyor means tilts in a clockwise direction back down toward the first belt conveyor means 18. Actuating switch 69 is closed by the downward movement of tiltable belt conveyor means 31 and actuates the control system. Thus, tiltable belt conveyor means 31 not only functions to expel the air from the bags, but also functions as a first garment sensing means and determines when a garment has cleared the tiltable belt conveyor means and is moving through the vicinity of the bag closing station 30.

The closing of actuating switch 69 causes solenoid valve 71 to shift after an appropriate time delay, to allow the air pressure from source 72 to be depleted from ram 67. Ram 67 is a spring retracted ram, and the depletion of the air from ram 67 causes its plunger to retract from beneath one of th side legs 63 of safety bar 62, allowing safety bar 62 to fall under the influence of gravity toward its magnet 65. If the trailing edge of the garment has cleared crossbar 64 of safety bar 62, crossbar 64 will be held in its down position by megnet 65, and safety switch 75 will be closed. Should the garment 90 or any other object obstruct the downward movement of safety bar 62, switch 75 will not close, and the system will remain at rest. Thus, safety bar 62 functions as a locating means or second sensing means for determining if the garment is at a position suitable for the system to continue its cycle of operation. If safety bar 62 moves as it should to its down position, safety switch 75 will close to actuate the system, and the weight of the safety bar together with the pull of the magnet on the safety bar cause the safety bar and magnet to grip the bag material and exert a friction on the bag to retard movement of the bag with the belt conveyor means. This causes the bag to be located in the proper position for severing and sealing.

When safety switch 75 closes, solenoid valve 77 is shifted for a duration as determined by timer 76, causing doubleacting ram 80 to pull its yoke 81 in a downward direction, thus rotating tiltable frame 47 in a counterclockwise direction about its fulcrum 60, this moving bag closing member 42 in a downward direction at bag closing station 30. Since the garment in the bag will have cleared bag closing station 30, only the trailing open end of the bag will be present at the bag closing station, and when bag closing member 42 moves downwardly, it will engage only the portion of the bag at its open end. When bag closing member 42 moves toward its down position, its movable shield 49 comes to rest on the upper surfaces of platen 41, to grip the bag at its open end, and hot wire 46 continues to move dowanwardly into the slot 43 of platen 41, to fuse and sever the bag. After the short time delay as controlled by timer 76 has expired, solenoid valve 77 will shift back to its original position, causing double acting ram 80 to lift tiltable frame 47.

As tiltable frame 47 moves in its counterclockwise direction so that bag closing member 42 moves downwardly, air control valve 84 is engaged by the tiltable frame 47, and air is allowed to flow from source 70 through conduits 85 and 58 into apertured air conduit 56. Air thus flows through the apertures of the conduit in a downward direction at a position forwardly of platen 41, so that air flows against the portions of the bag which are severed from the now closed bag, causing the severed waste portion of the bag to move downwardly toward slide 87 and into waste container 88. In addition, tucking blade 54 functions as a tucking member and moves with movable shield 49 of bag closing member 42, and tends to tuck or stuff the portion of the bag extending across bag closing station 30 down between platen 41 and roller 17 of first belt conveyor means 18, toward slide 87, to guide the air blast and severed bag material downwardly and assist in the disposing function, and also to prevent an oncoming garment and its bag from interfering with the sealing function taking place at the bag closing station. Thus, the apertured conduit 56 and tucking blade 54 function as air directing means to assist in disposing of the severed bag material.

After a predetermined time delay as controlled by time 70 has lapsed since the time of the closing of actuating switch 69, solenoid valve 71 will shift back to its original position, so as to distend the plunger of ram 67 back beneath a side leg 63 of safety bar 62. The outward movement of the plunger of ram 67 is timed so that it occurs when tiltable frame 47 is tilted downwardly with its bag closing member 42 in its down position, so that the plunger of ram 67 distends beneath the safety bar. Thus, when tiltable frame 47 rocks back in its clockwise direction to lift bag closing member 42, the plunger of ram 67 will tend to lift safety bar 62 back to its original position.

While this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinbefore and as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. Apparatus for closing bags about garments or the like comprising:

first belt conveyor means including an upper flight for moving a series of garments in open bags along a linear path with the opening of each bag trailing the garment,

a tiltable belt conveyor means positioned over said first belt conveyor means and including a lower flight driven in a direction extending generally along the linear path and tiltable toward and away from said first belt conveyor means,

second belt conveyor means including an upper flight adjacent and positioned at approximately the same level as the upper flight of said first belt conveyor means for continuing to move the series of garments in bags received from said first belt conveyor means along the linear path,

bag closing means positioned generally between said first belt conveyor means and said second belt conveyor means and including closing member movable generally in downward and upward directions into and out of contact with the bags moving along the linear path, and means responsive to the downward tilting movement of said tiltable belt conveyor means for initiating the bag closing operation.

2. Apparatus for closing bags about garments or the like comprising:

first belt conveyor means including an upper flight for moving a series of garments in open bags along a linear path with the opening of each bag trailing the garment,

a tiltable belt conveyor means positioned over said first belt conveyor means and including a lower flight driven in a direction extending generally along the linear path and tiltable toward and away from said first belt conveyor means,

second belt conveyor means including an upper flight adjacent and positioned at approximately the same level as the upper flight of said first belt conveyor means for continuing to move the series of garments in bags received from said first belt conveyor means along the linear path,

bag closing means positioned generally between said first belt conveyor means and said second belt conveyor means and including a closing member movable generally in downward and upward directions into and out of contact with the bags moving along the linear path in response to the downward tilting movement of said tiltable belt conveyor means,

locating means movable downwardly generally between said first and second belt conveyor means in response to the downward tilting movement of said tiltable belt conveyor means and movable upwardly generally from between said first and second belt conveyor means in response to the upward movement of said closing element, and

retaining means for holding said locating means in its down position between said first and second belt conveyor means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 and wherein said bag closing member comprises a heated wire member movable into and out of engagement with the bags.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including air directing means responseive to the movement of said bag closing member in a downward direction to move air downwardly between said first and second belt conveyor means.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 and wherein said bag closing member includes a tucking member movable between said first and second belt conveyor means.

6. Apparatus for closing the open end of bags about garments or the like comprising conveyor means arranged to move a series of open bags with garments therein along a path with the open end of each of the bags following the garments, a bag closing station positioned in the path, first garment sensing means positioned in the path ahead of the bag closing station, second garment sensing means positioned in the path behind the bag closing station, bag closing means positioned at said bag closing station for closing the open end of bags as the bags move along the path across said closing station, and control means for actuating said second garment sensing means in response to the detection of the trailing portion of a garment moving along the path toward the bag closing station by said first garment sensing means and for actuating said bag closing means in response to the detection of the trailing portion of a garment moving along the path away from the bag closing station by said second garment sensing means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 and wherein said conveyor means comprises a first belt conveyor including an upper horizontal flight in the path ahead of said bag closing station and a second belt conveyor including an upper horizontal flight in the path behind said bag closing station, and wherein said first garment sensing means comprises a tiltable belt conveyor including a lower flight driven in a direction extending generally along said path and tiltable toward and away from engagement with the upper horizontal flight of said first belt conveyor and biased toward engagement with said first belt conveyor and a switch engageable by said tiltable belt conveyor when tilted toward engagement with the upper horizontal flight of said first belt conveyor, whereby said tiltable belt conveyor tilts away from said first belt conveyor when a garment passes between said first belt conveyor and said tiltable belt conveyor and tilts toward said first belt conveyor and said switch when a garment passes beyond said tiltable belt conveyor.

8. A method of closing the open end of a thermo-plastic bag about a garment or the like comprising moving an open bag with a garment therein along a horizontal path with the open end of the bag trailing the garment, progressively compressing the bag from its closing end toward its open end about the garment as the bag moves along the path to expel air from the bag, moving a heated bar in a downward direction toward engagement with the bag at its open end behind the garment to seal the bag and sever a portion of the bag at its open end, tucking the open end of the bag in a downward direction at a position ahead of the heated bar, and passing a flow of air in a downward direction generally toward the tucked portion of the bag to move the severed portion of the bag downwardly away from the horizontal path.

9. A method of closing the open end of a bag about a garment or the like comprising moving an open bag with a garment therein along a horizontal path with the open end of the bag following the garment, detecting the movement of the garment past a predetermined position along the path, gripping the bag at a first position on the bag behind the garment in response to the detection of the garment, and closing the bag at a second position on the bag behind the garment in response to the gripping of the bag.