Adjustable Wicket Bagging Machine

Abstract

A machine and method are provided for accommodating use of different size wicketed bags in the machine through adjustments of various machine systems. The adjustments may be primarily toolless, without requiring disassembly, reconfiguration, and/or reassembly of the machine's subsystems. An intake system may include an adjustable chute with an upper chute segment and a lower chute segment, which may be adjusted independently of each other. An adjustable funnel may define the upper chute segment and provide funnel walls with variable angles of inclination to direct items toward the lower chute segment. An adjustable chute may define the lower chute segment and provide chute walls that are separated with a variable spacing. An adjustable bag opening system may include retainer assemblies and opener assemblies that are adjustably positioned with respect to each other to change their bag-engagement positions to correspond to different sized bags and their respective opening configurations.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An adjustable wicket bagging machine for filling wicketed bags of different sizes with items, defined by a first bag state when filling wicketed bags of a first bag size and a second bag state when filling wicketed bags of a second bag size, the machine comprising:
 a frame;   a bag storage station supported by the frame and including wicket pins that are configured to support a stack of empty wicketed bags;   a bag fill station supported by the frame downstream of the bag storage station;   an adjustable chute arranged upstream of the bag fill station and that surrounds an adjustable chute passage, wherein a size and/or shape of the adjustable chute is adjustable to defines:
 a first passage shape when the machine is in the first bag state; and 
 a second passage shape when the machine is in the second bag state 
   
     
     
         2 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable chute comprises:
 a first chute segment; and   a second chute segment that is arranged downstream of the first chute segment;   wherein sizes and/or shapes of the first and second chute segments are adjustable independently of each other to define different shapes of the adjustable chute passage.   
     
     
         3 . The machine of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the first chute segment defines an upper chute segment that receives the items from an intake system; and   the second chute segment defines a lower chute segment that delivers the items from the intake system toward the bag being filled;   wherein the first and second chute segments are adjustable independently of each other to define different shapes of the adjustable chute passage.   
     
     
         4 . The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the upper chute segment is defined by an adjustable funnel with a funnel outlet that defines a first funnel outlet width when the machine is in the first bag state and a second funnel outlet width when the machine is in the second bag state. 
     
     
         5 . The machine of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the adjustable chute passage includes a funnel passage segment that extends through the adjustable funnel; and wherein
 the adjustable funnel includes at least one adjustable funnel wall that defines a variable angle with respect to the funnel passage so that varying the angle of the at least one adjustable funnel wall changes a cross-sectional shape of the funnel passage segment of the adjustable chute passage. 
   
     
     
         6 . The machine of  claim 5 , wherein:
 the adjustable funnel includes a funnel frame;   the at least one adjustable funnel wall is defined by a pair of adjustable funnel walls that define variable angles with respect to the funnel passage; and   each adjustable funnel wall of the pair of adjustable funnel walls is pivot connected to the funnel frame so that varying the angle of each of the adjustable funnel walls changes the cross-sectional shape of the funnel passage segment of the adjustable chute passage.   
     
     
         7 . The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the lower chute segment defines a first chute outlet width when the machine is in the first bag state and a second chute outlet width when the machine is in the second bag state. 
     
     
         8 . The machine of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the adjustable chute passage includes a chute passage segment that extends through the lower chute segment; and wherein   the adjustable chute includes at least one adjustable chute wall that defines a variable transverse position with respect to the chute passage, so that varying the position of the at least one adjustable chute wall changes a cross-sectional shape of the chute passage segment of the adjustable chute passage.   
     
     
         9 . The machine of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the lower chute segment includes a chute frame;   the at least one adjustable chute wall is defined by a pair of adjustable chute walls that define variable transverse positions with respect to the chute passage; and   each adjustable chute wall of the pair of adjustable chute walls is slidingly connected to the chute frame so that varying the transverse position of each of the adjustable chute walls changes the cross-sectional shape of the chute passage segment of the adjustable chute passage.   
     
     
         10 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising an adjustable bag opening system that is configured to engage a bag at the bag fill station and to open the bag to receive the items, wherein the adjustable bag opening system is configured to:
 open a first bag so as to present a first bag opening shape when the machine is in the first bag state; and   open a second bag so as to present a second bag opening shape when the machine is in the second bag state.   
     
     
         11 . The machine of  claim 10 , wherein the adjustable bag opening system includes:
 a first pair of bag-engaging mechanisms arranged toward the bag storage station;   a second pair of bag-engaging mechanisms arranged away from the bag storage station;   
       wherein:
  the first and second pairs of bag engaging mechanisms collectively hold a bag open at the bag fill station; 
  when the machine is in the first bag state, the first and second pairs of bag engaging mechanisms hold the first bag open to define a first bag opening width; and 
  when the machine is in the second bag state, the first and second pairs of bag-engaging mechanisms hold the second bag open to define a second bag opening width that is greater than the first bag opening width. 
 
     
     
         12 . The machine of  claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second pairs of bag-engaging mechanisms is toollessly adjustable to change a distance between the respective bag-engaging mechanisms. 
     
     
         13 . The machine of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the first pair of bag-engaging mechanisms is defined by a pair of retainer assemblies that hold a front panel of the bag in a fixed position during a bag-opening procedure; and   the second pair of bag-engaging mechanisms is defined by a pair of opener assemblies that pull a back panel of the bag away from the front panel of the bag during the bag-opening procedure.   
     
     
         14 . The machine of  claim 13 , wherein:
 each retainer assembly includes:
 a retainer finger that is configured to engage the front panel of the bag; and 
 a retainer actuator that is configured to selectively move the retainer finger to engage the front panel of the bag; and 
   a lateral spacing between the retainer fingers of the pair of retainer assemblies is adjustable so that:
 a first lateral spacing between the retainer fingers corresponds to the first bag state of the machine; and 
 a second lateral spacing between the retainer fingers corresponds to the second bag state of the machine. 
   
     
     
         15 . An adjustable wicket bagger machine for filling wicketed bags of different sizes with items, defined by a first bag state when filling wicketed bags of a first bag size and a second bag state when filling wicketed bags of a second bag size, the machine comprising:
 a frame;   a bag fill station supported by the frame;   an adjustable bag opening system that is located in the bag fill still station and that includes:
 a pair of bag-engaging mechanisms that hold a bag open at the bag fill station, the pair of bag-engaging mechanisms being positionally adjustable relative to one another to alter a lateral distance therebetween. 
   
     
     
         16 . The adjustable wicket bagger machine of  claim 15 , wherein the pair of bag-engaging mechanisms defines a first pair of pair of bag-engaging mechanisms; and further comprising a second pair of pair of bag-engaging mechanisms that is arranged to hold the bag open at the bag fill station, the second pair of bag-engaging mechanisms being positionally adjustable relative to one another to alter a lateral distance therebetween, independently of the lateral distance between the first pair of bag-engaging mechanisms. 
     
     
         17 . The machine of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first pair of pair of bag-engaging mechanisms is defined by a pair of retainer fingers that are configured to engage a front panel of the bag;   the second pair of pair of bag-engaging mechanisms is defined by a pair of opener lugs that are configured to engage a rear panel of the bag and to pull the back panel of the bag away from the front panel of the bag during a bag-opening procedure.   
     
     
         18 . A method for filling wicketed bags of different sizes with an adjustable wicketed bagger machine, the method comprising:
 storing a first set of wicketed bags of a first size on wicket pins on the adjustable wicketed bagger machine;   adjusting a size and/or a shape of a chute passage to define a first outlet width dimension;   adjusting a bag opening system to open the bags of the first set of bags, wherein each open bag defines an opening with a first set of L×W (length by width) dimensions;   operating the adjustable wicketed bagger machine to fill the first set of wicketed bags;   storing a second set of wicketed bags of a second size on the wicket pins on the adjustable wicketed bagger machine;   adjusting a size and/or shape of the chute passage to define a second outlet width dimension;   adjusting the bag opening system to open the bags of the second set of bags, wherein each open bag defines an opening with a second set of L×W dimensions; and   operating the adjustable wicketed bagger machine to fill the second set of wicketed bags.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the adjusting of the bag opening system includes toollessly adjusting a spacing between a pair of chute walls to correspond to the opening of the second set of wicketed bags.