l
5,708,339
3
through
a
slot
122
between
upper
face
plate
16
and
lower
face
plate
17
for
drawing
the
bag
125
to
a
controlled
tension
about
the
contents
thereof.
Needle
assembly
40
wraps
the
ribbon
15
of
the wire-like
material
about
the
gathered
neck
of
the
bag and
twister
hook
50
is
actuated
for
twisting
a
portion
of
the
wire-like
material
about
the
neck
of
the
bag
125.
It
should
be
noted
that
the
ribbon of
material
15
may
be
constructed
of
wire enclosed
in
paper
or
plastic
or
it
may
comprise
a
ribbon
of
plastic
or
any
other
material.
The
strand
of
ribbon
15
extends
around
one
or
more
pulleys
41,
41a
and
41b
mounted
on
shafts
41a
'
from
a
spool
410
of
tie
material.
as
best
illustrated
in
FIG.
12.
The
mounting
for
spool
41c
is
similar
to
that
disclosed
in
US.
Pat.
No.
3,919,829
entitled
“APPARATUS
FOR
'I'YING
PACKAGES
AND
WRAPPING
MATERIALS”.
the
disclosure
of
which
is
incorporated
herein
by
reference
in
its
entirety
for
all
purposes.
However,
it
will
be
noted
that
spool
410
of
tie
material
is
mounted
on
a
shaft
and
tie
material
15
is
fed
from
spool,
14c
and
is
routed
around
wilers
41b.
41a and
41,
around
needle
roller
44
and
the
end
of the
ribbon
15
is
gripped
in
the
holder-shear
assembly
60,
as
best
illustrated
in
FIGS.
1
and
14
of
the
drawing.
Spool
41c
is
mounted
on
a
shaft
engaged
by
a
brake
(not
shown).
As
needle
42
forms
a
loop of
tie
material
around
the
gathered
neck
of
a
bag,
the
force
of
inertia
and
force
exerted
by
the
brake
cause
the
spool
410
to
remain
stationary
momentarily
as a
crank
arm,
on
which
roller
41a
is
mounted.
is
rotated
in
a
clockwise
direction
as
illustrated
in
FIG.
12
of
the
drawing.
As
will
be
hereinafter
more
fully
explained,
one
of
the
pulleys
41,
41a
or
41b
is
preferably
equipped
with
a sensor
device
which
is
capable
of
calculating
the
amount
of
ribbon
1S
dispensed
from
spool
41c.
The
sensor
apparatus
deter
mines
whether
or
not
a
bag
neck
is
present.
As
needle
41
moves
from
the
full
outline position
illustrated
in
FIG.
2
to
the
dashed
outline
position,
if
a
bag neck
is
not
positioned
in
the
path
of
the
ribbon.
the
cycle
of
operation
will
be
interrupted
so
that
the
holder-shear
assembly
60
will
not
be
actuated
and
the
twister
hook
assembly
50
will
not
rotate.
This
prevents
actuation
of
the
holder-shear
assembly
which
would
have
resulted
in
the
ribbon
being
dropped
or
released
if
a
bag
neck
was
not
present.
The
frame
of
the
bag
tying
device
may
assume
many
con?gurations.
In
the
illustrated
embodiment
upper
and
lower
face
plates
16
and
17
are
supported
on
forward
edges
of
vertically
extending
end
plates
18
and 19
having
slots
formed
therein
to
permit
passage
of a
bag
neck.
A
horizontal
mounting
plate
19a
extends
between
lower
portions
of
end
plates
18
and
19
and
a
vertical
mounting
plate
16a
extends
outwardly
from end
plate
18.
A
motor
M1,
having
an
encoder
E1
mounted
the rear
end
of
motor
M1,
is
mounted
on
an
upper
portion
of
the
vertical
mounting
plate
16a
for
driving
the
gathering
assembly
20.
A
motor
M2,
having
an
encoder
E2
mounted
the
rear
end
and
a
gear
box
46
mounted
on
the
front
end
of
motor
M2,
is
mounted
on
an
upper
portion
of
the rear
surface
of
face
plate
16
for
driving
the
needle
assembly
40.
A
motor
M3,
having
an
encoder
E3
mounted
the
rear
end
of
motor
M3,
is
mounted
vertically
on
horizontally
extending
mounting
plate
19a
for
driving
the
twister
hook
assembly
50.
A
motor
M4,
having
an encoder
134
mounted
the
rear
end
of
motor
M4,
is
mounted
on
a
lower
portion
of
end
plate
18,
and
in
the
illustrated
embodiment
extends
below
motor
M2,
for
driving
the
holder-shear
assembly
60.
Referring
to
FIGS.
1-5
of
the
drawing,
bag
neck
gather
ing apparatus
20
comprises,
in
a
preferred
embodiment
of
20
25
30
35
50
55
65
4
the
invention,
an
upper
gathering
belt
22
routed
around
a
driven
pulley
24
and
idler
pulleys
26,
27
and
28.
The
bag
neck
gathering
mechanism
20
further
comprises
a
lower
gathering
belt
32
routed
around
a
driven
pulley
34
and
idler
pulleys
36,
37
and
38.
As
best
illustrated
in
FIG.
1
of
the
drawing
the
portion
29
of
the
upper
gathering
belt
22,
extending
between
idler
pulleys
27
and
28,
is
substantially
parallel
and
closely
spaced
relative
to
the
portion
39
of
the
lower
gathering
belt
32
which
extends
between
driven
pulley
34
and
idler
pulley
36. In
the
illustrated
embodiment.
gathering
belts
22
gand 32
move
a
bag
neck
along
path
12
in
a
plane
P
as
illustrated
in
FIG.
2.
A
pressure
pad
21,
resiliently
urged
upwardly
by
springs
21a
and
21b
acting
through
hell
cranks,
maintains
belts
22
and
32
in
frictional
engagement
with
the
neck
of
a
bag
or
other
material
to
be
tied.
As
best
illustrated
in
FIGS.
3
and 5
of
the
drawing,
driven
shaft
25,
having
driven
pulley
24
mounted
on
one
end,
has
a
pulley
23
mounted
on
its
opposite
end.
Driven
shaft
35,
having
driven pulley
34
mounted
on
one
end,
has
a
pulley
33
mounted
on
its
opposite
end.
A
pulley
30
mounted
on
the
drive
shaft
of
motor
M1
drives
pulleys
23
and
33
through a
belt
31
such
that
driven
pulley
24
rotates
in
a
clockwise
direction
while
driven
pulley
34
rotates
in a
counter
clockwise
direction,
as
viewed
in
FIG.
2
of
the
drawing.
Belt
guards
16a
and 16b and
17a
preferably
extend
between
the
gathering
belts
and
products
on
the
conveyor,
as
illustrated
in
FIG.
12.
The
bag
neck
is
moved
into
a
slot
in
the
belt
guard
by
brushes
(not
shown)
and
the
product
in
the
bag
engages
the
belt
guards
when
the
neck
of
the
bag
is
drawn
by
gathering
belts
22
and
32
around
a
bag
stop lever
80.
It
should
be
appreciated
that
other
and
further
gathering
struc
tures
may
be
used
to
form
a
gathered
neck
on
a
bag.
Terms
such
as
“left,"
“right,"
“clockwise.”
“counter
clockwise,"
“horizontal,"
“vertical,”
“up,”
and
“down”
when
used
in
reference
to
the
drawings,
generally
refer
to
orientation
of
the
parts
in
the
illustrated
embodiment
and
not
necessarily
during
use.
These
terms
used
herein
are
meant
only
to
refer to
relative
positions
and/or
orientations.
for
convenience,
and
are
not
to
be
understood
to
be
in
any
manner
otherwise
limiting.
As
illustrated
in
FIGS.
7
and
10
of
the
drawing
motor
M1
is
driven
by
a
solid
state
DC
motor
controller
91
which
is
capable
of
varying
the
speed
of
motor
M1
to
substantially
synchronize
movement
of
upper
gathering
belt
22
and
lowering
gathering
belt
33
with
the
speed
of a
conveyor
300
moving
packages
125
adjacent
the
bag
gathering
mechanism
20.
For
example,
if
the
tier
10
is
to
gather
and
tie
the
necks
of
100
bags
per
minute,
the
conveyer
300
would
preferably
bring
bags
to
and
through
the
tier
at
a
speed
of
approxi
mately
300
feet
per
minute
and
the
gathering
belts
22
and
32
would
preferably
be
driven
at
a
speed
of.
for
example
305
feet
per
minute, so
that
the
neck
of
the
bag
would
be
accelerated
for
gathering
the
neck,
stopped
momentarily
while
it
is
being
tied
with
a
ribbon
and
then
discharged
in
a
substantially
continuous
operation.
As
will
hereinafter
be
more
fully
explained,
the
gathering
assembly
20
also
includes
a
bag
stop
lever
80,
illustrated
in
FIGS.
2
and
3.
mounted
on
shaft
85
for
rotary
movement
about
a
horizontal
axis.
in
the
illustrated
embodiment.
Shaft
85
extends
through
an
electric
brake
82,
which
momentarily
locks
lever
80
in
a
lowered
position
extending
across
path
12
such
that
gathering
belts
22
and
32
move
the
bag neck
into
engagement
with
lever
80.
After
the
bag
neck
has
been
gathered
and
tied,
the
electric
brake
82
is
released
and
the
gathered
neck.
carried
between
belts
22
and
32,
urges
the
lever
80
upwardly
such
that
it
does
not
obstruct
movement