l
5,708,339
1
BAG
NECK
GATHERING
STOP
This
is
a
division
of
application
Ser.
No.
08/129,284
?led
Sep.
30,
1993
now
U.S.
Pat.
No.
5,483,134.
TECHNICAL
FIELD
The
invention
relates
to
apparatus
for
wrapping
a
ribbon
around
the
gathered
neck
of a
bag and
twisting
the
ribbon
for
closing
and
sealing
the
neck
of a
?exible
bag.
BACKGROUND
OF
INVENTION
U.S.
Pat.
No.
3,138,904
to Earl
E.
Burford
entitled
“METHOD
AND
APPARATUS
FOR
TYlNG
PACKAGES
AND
WRAPPING
MATERIALS?
U.S.
Pat.
No.
3,059,670
to
Charles
E.
Burford
and
Leonard
W.
Burford
entitled
“WIRE
TWISTING
TOO
;”
U.S.
Pat.
No.
3,919,829
to
Leonard
W.
Burford
and
Charles
C
Burford
entitled
“APPA
RATUS
FOR
TYING
PACKAGES
AND
WRAPPING
MATERIALS?’
and
U.S.
Pat.
No.
4,856,258.
which
issued
Aug.
15,
1989
to
Charles
E.
Burford
and
Jimmy
R.
Frazier
entitled
“WIRE
TYING
DEVICE”
disclose
apparatus
used
for
closing
a
plastic
bag
by
attaching
and
twisting
a
wire-like
ribbon
about
the
neck
of
the
bag.
Bag
tying
devices
of
the
type
disclosed
in
the
aforemen
tioned
patents
are
commercially
available
from
Burford
Corporation
of
Maysville,
Okla.
The
tying
devices
are
generally
constructed
to
receive
packages
such
as
loaves
of
bread
at
speeds
of
for
example
one
hundred
(100)
packages
per
minute.
The
design
of
the
bag
tying
devices
requires
careful
consideration
of
the
mass,
acceleration,
deceleration
and
momentum
of
the
moving
parts
of
the
tying
device.
Hrrther,
precise
synchronization
of
paris
in
subassemblies
of
the
tying
devices
must
be
maintained
throughout
a
tying
cycle
if
the
device
is
to
operate
eifectively.
SUMMARY
OF
INVENTION
The
bag
neck
tying
device
disclosed
herein
incorporates
a
bag
neck
gathering
mechanism
comprising
motor
driven
gathering
belts
for
moving
a
bag neck
along
a
path
in
a
plane
into
engagement
with
a
bag
stop
controlled
by
an
electric
brake
positioned
adjacent
a
ribbon
holder-shear
assembly
which
holds
the
free
end
of
a
ribbon
of
He
material.
A
motor
driven
needle
wraps
the
strand
of
tie
material
around
the
gathered
neck
of
the
bag,
and
a
motor
driven
twister
hook
assembly
engages
the
free
end
and
the
running
end
of
the
ribbon
adjacent
the
gathered
neck
for
twisting
the
ribbon.
Independently
controlled
bi-directional,
brush
type
ser
vomotors
are
mounted
in
the
separate
subassemblies
of
the
tying
device.
Each
of
the
servomotors
is
controlled
by
a
solid
state
DC
motor
controller
in
a
closed
loop feedback
system
under
the
control
of
a
multi-channel
microcontroller
which
precisely
starts,
controls
and
stops
each
of
the
ser
vomotors
in
a
pre-assigned
sequence
for
each
cycle
of
the
tying
apparatus.
The
weight
and
number
of
moving
parts
in
the
tying
device
have been
signi?cantly
reduced
More
particularly,
the
software driven
motor
controllers
isolate
the
movement
of
the
various
components
of
the
tying
device
to
reduce
stress
and
shock
loading
of
parts
of
mechanical
drive
trains.
A
preferred
embodiment
of
the
apparatus
for
securing
material
includes
improvements
in
apparatus
for
gathering
material,
such
as
plastic
bag
material
or
a
variety
of
other
materials
such
as
coils
of
electrical
cord,
water
hose,
tubing,
yarn,
and
bundles
of
cable.
rods,
or
carrots,
and
in
apparatus
for
fastening the
gathered
material.
It is
contemplated
that
10
20
25
30
35
45
55
65
2
the
disclosed
closed
loop
control
circuit
may
be
used
to
control
electric
motors
to
drive
apparatus
for
fastening
gathered
materials
in
addition
to
the
speci?c
disclosed
embodiment
of
the
bag
neck
tying
device.
DESCRIPTION
OF
THE
DRAWINGS
Drawings
of
a
preferred
embodiment
of
the
invention
are
annexed
hereto
so
that
the
invention
may
be
better
and
more
fully
understood,
in
which:
FIG.
1
is
a
perspective
view
illustrating
the
front
of
the
bag
neck
tying
device;
FIG.
2
is
a
diagrammatic
front
elevational
view;
FIG.
3
is
a
diagrammatic
rear
elevational
view;
FIG.
4
is
an
end
view
looking
generally
in
the
direction
of
the
arrows
along
line
4-4
in
FIG.
2;
FIG.
5
is
a
diagrammatic
end view
illustrating
the
dis
charge
end
of
the
bag neck
tying
device,
looking
in
the
direction
of
the
arrows
along
line
S—5
in
FIG.
2;
FIG.
6
is
a top
plan
view,
looking
in
the
direction
of
the
arrows
along
line
6—-6
in
FIG.
2.
parts
being
broken
away
to
more
clearly
illustrate
the
details
of
construction;
FIG.
7
is
a
wiring
diagram
of
the
closed
loop
microcom
puter
controlled
control
system;
FIG.
8
is
a
schematic
diagram
of
the
full
wave
recti?ed
8
and
34
volt
power
supply;
FIG.
9
is
a
schematic
diagram
of
a
bi-directional
DC
motor
controller;
FIG.
10
is
a
schematic
diagram
of
a
single
direction
DC
motor
controller;
FIG.
11
is
a
graphic
representation
of
the
sequence
of
operation
of
the needle.
hook
and
shear
assemblies
during
a
complete
cycle
of
operation;
FIG.
12
is
a
diagramatic
front
elevational
view
of
the
tying
device
with
belt
guards
and
covers
in
position,
illus
trating
a
spool
of
ribbon;
FIG.
13
is
a
diagramatic
perspective
view
of a
pulley
and
proximity
switch;
and
FIG.
14
is
a
perspective
view
of
a
holder-shear
assembly.
Numeral
references
are
employed
to
designate
like
parts
throughout
the
various
Figures
of
the
drawing.
DESCRIPTION
OF
A
PREFERRED
EMBODIMENT
The
wire
tying
device,
generally
designated
by
the
numeral
10,
in
FIGS.
1
and
2
of
the
drawing
is
mounted
adjacent
the
side
of
a
conveyor
300
of
the
type
disclosed
in
Burford
U.S.
Pat.
No.
3.138.904
and
Burford
U.S.
Pat.
No.
3,919,829,
the
disclosures
of
which
are
incorporated
herein
by
reference
in
their
entirety
for
all
purposes.
Conveyor
300
carries
for
example,
loaves
125
of
bread
to.
through
and
out
of wire
tying
device
10
in
rapid
succession.
Conveyor
300
is
well
known
to
persons
skilled
in
the
art
and
further
description
thereof
is
not
deemed
necessary
except
in
con
nection
with
the
drive
mechanism
as
will
be
hereinafter
more
fully
explained.
It
should
be
appreciated
that
other
and
further
structures
may
form
the
conveyor.
Referring
to
FIG.
I
of
the
drawing,
the
numeral
20
generally
designates
a
bag
gathering
apparatus
for
moving
a
bag
125
along
a
path
12
to
a
position
adjacent
a
needle
assembly
40,
a
twister
hook
assembly
50
and
a
holder-shear
assembly
60.
As
will
be
hereinaftm'
more
fully
explained.
the
free
end
of
a
ribbon
of
wire-like
material
15
is
gripped
in
holder-shear
assembly
60.
The
neck
of
the
bag
moves