Method and apparatus for stacking and feeding fillable flexible containers (stand-up bags)

Abstract

A method and apparatus for loading and subsequently dispensing a plurality of flexible baglike containers. In one embodiment the baglike containers are configured in an unloaded, empty, mode to be in a substantially flat configuration. These flat items are stacked flat into a batching container and (such as a cardboard box) dispensed “off the bottom” of the stack by a container loading apparatus. The container loading apparatus grasps the flat items, pulls them from the bottom of the stack, and then loads them through a feed hole as known in the art. One of the inventions herein is the particular manner in which the flexible baglike containers are loaded into a stack within the batching container. Under this particular inventive manner, the bags are stacked in offset sub-batches. This provides improved stacking but still provides suitable dispensing characteristics. Another disclosed concept is the use of multiple boxes and an automated feed system for said boxes to reduce associated infeed labor.

1 . A cartridge for providing sequential access to a plurality of substantially flattened bags, said cartridge including:
 a plurality of flattened, selectively sealable bags configured to lie substantially flat but for a seal location at the substantially same location along each flattened bag thickness, said seal location presenting a bulge being thicker than the nominal thickness of said bag; and   a dispensing box defining a cavity for accepting said plurality of bags in a stack such that said bags lie substantially flat one atop another along a stack axis substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the substantially flat bags, said cavity having a depth to accept said stack and a rectangular cross section taken having a predetermined length and width, said cavity width generally corresponding to the width of said flattened bags, but said cavity length being greater than the length of said flattened bags a predetermined off-set distance;   said bags being stacked in a predetermined off-set configuration in the such that the bulge of at least one bag does not align with the bulge of at least one other bag as the bags are stacked within the cavity, thus reducing the potential compounding of the bulges within the stack.   
   
   
       2 . The cartridge as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of bags are stacked in a configuration which includes a plurality of bag subgroups, each bag subgroup being stacked one atop the other such that each of their bulges are one atop the other, but with each subgroup being offset relative to each vertically adjacent subgroup such that the substantially aligned bulges of one subgroup are also offset relative to the substantially aligned bulges of the other subgroup. 
   
   
       3 . The cartridge as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said box includes a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn. 
   
   
       4 . The cartridge as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said box includes a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box. 
   
   
       5 . The cartridge as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said box includes a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box. 
   
   
       6 . A method for providing a cartridge for providing sequential access to a plurality of substantially flattened bags, said method including the steps of;
 providing a plurality of flattened, selectively sealable bags configured to lie substantially flat but for a seal location at the substantially same location along each flattened bag thickness, said seal location presenting a bulge being thicker than the nominal thickness of said bag;   providing a dispensing box defining a cavity for accepting said plurality of bags in a stack of flattened bags lying substantially flat one atop the other, said cavity having a depth to accept said stack and a rectangular cross section taken having a predetermined length and width, said cavity width generally corresponding to the width of said flattened bags, but said cavity length being greater than the length of said flattened bags a predetermined off-set distance; and   loading said bags in a stack within said box cavity to provide said cartridge, such that said bags lie substantially flat one atop another along a stack axis substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the substantially flat bags, said loading being conducted such that said bags are stacked in a predetermined off-set configuration in the such that the bulge of at least one bag does not align with the bulge of at least one other bag as the bags are stacked within the cavity, thus reducing the potential compounding of the bulges within the stack.   
   
   
       7 . The method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said plurality of bags are loaded in a stack within said box such that they are stacked in a configuration which includes a plurality of bag subgroups, each bag subgroup being stacked one atop the other such that each of their bulges are one atop the other, but with each subgroup being offset relative to each vertically adjacent subgroup such that the substantially aligned bulges of one subgroup are also offset relative to the substantially aligned bulges of the other subgroup. 
   
   
       8 . The cartridge as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn. 
   
   
       9 . The cartridge as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box. 
   
   
       10 . The cartridge as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box. 
   
   
       11 . A method for providing a cartridge at a first location for providing sequential access to a plurality of substantially flattened bags at a second location, said method including the steps of;
 providing a plurality of flattened, selectively sealable bags configured to lie substantially flat but for a seal location at the substantially same location along each flattened bag thickness, said seal location presenting a bulge being thicker than the nominal thickness of said bag;   providing a dispensing box defining a cavity for accepting said plurality of bags in a stack of flattened bags lying substantially flat one atop the other, said cavity having a depth to accept said stack and a rectangular cross section taken having a predetermined length and width, said cavity width generally corresponding to the width of said flattened bags, but said cavity length being greater than the length of said flattened bags a predetermined off-set distance;   loading said bags in a stack within said box cavity to provide said cartridge, such that said bags lie substantially flat one atop another along a stack axis substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the substantially flat bags, said loading being conducted such that said bags are stacked in a predetermined off-set configuration in the such that the bulge of at least one bag does not align with the bulge of at least one other bag as the bags are stacked within the cavity, thus reducing the potential compounding of the bulges within the stack;   transferring said cartridge from said first to said second location; and   dispensing said bag from said stack in a sequential manner at said second location.   
   
   
       12 . The method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said plurality of bags are loaded in a stack within said box such that they are stacked in a configuration which includes a plurality of bag subgroups, each bag subgroup being stacked one atop the other such that each of their bulges are one atop the other, but with each subgroup being offset relative to each vertically adjacent subgroup such that the substantially aligned bulges of one subgroup are also offset relative to the substantially aligned bulges of the other subgroup. 
   
   
       13 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein at said first location said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, and wherein at said second location said removable panel is removed prior to the dispensing of said bags at said second location. 
   
   
       14 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein at said first location said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box, and wherein at said second location said removable panel is removed prior to the dispensing of said bags at said second location. 
   
   
       15 . The method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein at said first location said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box, and wherein at said second location said removable panel is removed prior to the dispensing of said bags at said second location. 
   
   
       16 . A method for providing a plurality of cartridges at a first location for providing sequential access to a plurality of substantially flattened bags at a second location, said method including the steps of;
 providing a plurality of flattened, selectively sealable bags configured to lie substantially flat but for a seal location at the substantially same location along each flattened bag thickness, said seal location presenting a bulge being thicker than the nominal thickness of said bag;   providing a dispensing box defining a cavity for accepting said plurality of bags in a stack of flattened bags lying substantially flat one atop the other, said cavity having a depth to accept said stack and a rectangular cross section taken having a predetermined length and width, said cavity width generally corresponding to the width of said flattened bags, but said cavity length being greater than the length of said flattened bags a predetermined off-set distance;   loading said bags in a stack within said box cavity to provide said cartridge, such that said bags lie substantially flat one atop another along a stack axis substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the substantially flat bags, said loading being conducted such that said bags are stacked in a predetermined off-set configuration in the such that the bulge of at least one bag does not align with the bulge of at least one other bag as the bags are stacked within the cavity, thus reducing the potential compounding of the bulges within the stack;   providing a plurality of cartridges per the steps above;   transferring said cartridges from said first to said second location; and   dispensing bags from said cartridges at said second location by emptying one cartridge at a time by dispensing said bags from said stack in a sequential manner for each cartridge.   
   
   
       17 . The method as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said plurality of bags are loaded in a stack within said box to create each cartridge such that they are stacked in a configuration which includes a plurality of bag subgroups, each bag subgroup being stacked one atop the other such that each of their bulges are one atop the other, but with each subgroup being offset relative to each vertically adjacent subgroup such that the substantially aligned bulges of one subgroup are also offset relative to the substantially aligned bulges of the other subgroup. 
   
   
       18 . The method as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein at said first location each said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, and wherein at said second location said removable panel is removed prior to the dispensing of said bags at said second location. 
   
   
       19 . The method as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein at said first location each said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box, and wherein at said second location said removable panel is removed prior to the dispensing of said bags at said second location. 
   
   
       20 . The method as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein at said first location each said box is provided to include a floor including a selectively removable panel configured such that once said panel is removed, the bottommost bag in the stack within said box may be withdrawn, but said floor still includes two side support portions dimensioned to support the weight of said stack within said box, and wherein at said second location said removable panel is removed prior to the dispensing of said bags at said second location.