US3222846A

US3222846A - Bag filling apparatus with clamping rack

Info

Publication number: US3222846A
Application number: US173962A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lipschutz Sidney
Original assignee: CHEMICAL SALES Inc
Current assignee: CHEMICAL SALES Inc
Priority date: 1962-02-19
Filing date: 1962-02-19
Publication date: 1965-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 1982-12-14

Description

Dec. 14, 1965 s. LIPSCHUTZ BAG FILLING APPARATUS WITH CLAMPING RACK 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1962 INVENTOR. S UN EY Ll P SCH UTZ BY Cam-u W 1" ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 14, 1965 5, psc u' -z 3,222,846

BAG FILLING APPARATUS WITH CLAMPING RACK Filed Feb. 19, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

SID N E Y LIPSCHUTZ WWW Dec. 14, 1965 s. LIPSCHUTZ BAG FILLING APPARATUS WITH OLAMPING RACK Filed Feb. 19, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

SIDNEY LIPSCHUTZ I28 I50 I52 I30 BY WWW ATTORNEYS. V

Dec. 14, 1965 s. LIPSCHUTZ BAG FILLING APPARATUS WITH CLAMPING RACK Filed Feb. 19, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

SI DNE Y Ll PSCHUTZ ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent M 3,222,846 BAG FILLING APPARATUS WlTll-l CLAMPHNG RACK Sidney Lipschutz, Philadelphia, Pa, assignor to Chemical Sales, line, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 173,962

9 Claims. (Cl. 53266) This invention relates to an apparatus for filling and sealing bags containing corrosive liquids, and also includes a novel clamping rack for supporting said bags while used with said apparatus.

It has been the prior practice in the industry to package corrosive liquids such as acids or alkaline materials in containers consisting of a relatively rigid outer unit made of fiberboard enclosing a flexible inner unit of non-corrosive material such as polyethylene, cellulose acetate and the like. One such package is disclosed in copending application Serial No. 110,179, filed May 15, 1961, now Patent No. 3,137,433.

Packages of this type find particular utility when filled with sulphuric acid which is to be used in storage batteries. Currently electric storage batteries are shipped without the acid and a predetermined quantity of acid is separably shipped. When the battery is to be used, the container with the predetermined amount of sulphuric acid is emptied into each cell of the storage battery. In the alternative, the packages may be filled with large volumes of acid, such as five gallon quantities, and subsequently tapped with a non-corrosive probe. Acid from the package is then fed through a non-corrosive tube connected to the probe into the individual battery cells. This tapping method of dispensing acid is disclosed in the aforesaid copending application Serial No. 110,179, and forms no part of the instant invention.

In the past, filling of the packages was a long and tedious task. The inner flexible container was first placed inside the outer rigid container and subsequently filled with the acid. The filled package was then moved to a heat sealing station where the inner flexible package was heat sealed. Afterwards the outer package was glued closed. The major problem with this process was that it was a completely batch process and only one package could be handled at any one time.

The instant invention provides a semi-automatic apparatus which greatly facilitates the filling and sealing of the packages with a corresponding decrease in the amount of time required.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel apparatus for filling and sealing a package containing a corrosive material.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a rack for supporting a flexible bag to be filled with a corrosive material.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus for supporting, filling and sealing a flexible container with all parts of the apparatus being pneumatically actuated.

The foregoing, as well as other objects of this inven tion, are achieved by providing an apparatus comprising an endless conveyer, at least one bag supporting rack on said conveyer, a filling station on said conveyer, and a heat sealing station, said bag supporting rack having a clamping bar which is air actuated.

In another aspect of this invention, there is provided a bag supporting rack comprising a frame member, a pair of clamping bars associated with said frame member, at least one of said bars being movable toward and away from the other bar and means for moving said movable bar toward said other bar, said moving means including a spring actuated pneumatic piston.

3,222,84fi Patented Dec. 14, 1965 ICC? Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bag-supporting rack of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 with a bag shown in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the bag supporting rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bag supporting rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the clamping rods with a bag held therebetween;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic sectional View of the twoway valve used on the bag supporting rack;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the quick exhaust valve used on the bag supporting rack;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the clamping cylinder used on the bag supporting rack;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic front elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, partial, diagrammatic sectional view taken along the line 88 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged, partial, diagrammatic sectional view taken along the line ill-12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged, partial, diagrammatic sectional view taken along the line 13-413 of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, partial, diagrammatic sectional view taken along the line 14-14 of FIG. 10.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, a bag filling apparatus embodying the present invention is generally shown at 20 in FIG. 9. The apparatus basically comprises an endless conveyer 22 and includes a bag loading station 24, a bag filling station 26, a heat sealing station 28, and an unloading station 30.

Endless conveyer 22 is a track having elongated parallel sides 32 and curved ends 34.

The flexible bags to be filled are moved from station to station along the conveyor 22 by a bag supporting rack indicated generally at 36. As seen in FIG. 1, rack 36 comprises a frame 38 which includes a pair of angle bars 40, each of which is bent at a right angle. Angle bars 4% are laterally spaced from each other and are connected at their upper portions by a bridging angle bar 42. As seen in FIG. 1, bridging bar 42 includes one face 44 which is welded or otherwise secured to the angle bars 40. A second face 46 of bar 42 extends perpendicularly outward from the upper edge of face 44 and thus lies in a horizontal plane. As seen in FIG. 1, angle bars 40 include vertical sections 48 and horizontal sections 50 which are at right angles to the vertical sections. Bar 42 is secured to the upper portion of vertical sections 48. A fiat bar 52 is welded, or otherwise secured, to the lower portions of sections 48. Secured to the outer surface of fiat bar 52 are a plurality of round numbs 54. Usually three nubs are used, with one being placed adjacent each vertical section 48 and one in the center of bar 52. The purpose of these nubs will be explained hereinafter.

Secured to the lower surfaces of the outer portions of horizontal sections 50 is an angle bar 56. As seen in FIG. 2, angle bar 56 includes a horizontal surface 58 and a vertical surface 60 extending perpendicularly downward from the horizontal surface.

A generally U-shaped bar 62 extends horizontally outward from horizontal section 50. Bar 62 includes parallel side legs 64 and bridging section 66. A horizontal plate 68, which is integral with legs 64 and bridging section 66, or welded thereto, extends inwardly from the top of the bridging section along a substantial portion of legs 64 and terminates about the distance between bridging section 66 and vertical surface of angle bar 56 (see FIG. 2). As seen in FIG. 5, a rod 70, which is substantially square in cross section, is secured to the inner edge of plate 68. Referring again to FIG. 1, it is seen that plate 68 is substantially rectangular in shape but includes an arcuate recess 72 at one end thereof. The purpose of this recess will be explained hereinafter.

Secured to the center of the top of horizontal surface 58 of angle bar 56, is a clamping cylinder 74. Cylinder 74 includes a piston rod 76 which extends horizontally outward therefrom. A rectangular rod 78 is perpendicularly secured to the end of piston rod 76. The rectangular rod 78 is secured to the vertical face 80 of angle bar 82 (see FIG. 2). Angle bar 82 also includes a horizontal face 84. A square rod 86 is secured to vertical face 80 on the side opposite rectangular rod 78 (FIG. 5). As seen in FIG. 5, a pair of arcuate rubber sleeves almost completely cover

rods

70 and 86. The purpose of the rubber sleeves is to securely engage the upper end of a flexible bag 90, such as polyethylene, without tearing the bag. As seen in FIG. 5, sleeves 88 are shown as having a corrugated surface. The purpose of this surface is to provide a more secure grip on the bag and thus prevent slippage when the bag is filled. Sleeves 88 can be made of any resilient material having a high coefficient of friction, such as natural or synthetic rubber.

It is thus seen that a bag 90 is supported in rack 36 by means of the pressure transmitted from clamping cylinder 74 through piston rod 76 and to rod 86. Since rod 70 is stationary, the amount of pressure applied is directly dependent upon the pressure of the air supplied to the pneumatic cylinder 74. In order to guide the rod 86 in its reciprocating movement when clamping and unclamping a bag, a pair of guide means 92 are provided. Each guide means 92 includes a vertical plate 94 which is secured to horizontal surface 58 of angle bar 56. A horizontal shaft 96 is slidably mounted within plate 94. One end of shaft 96 is secured to the vertical face 80 of angle bar 82 by bracket 98. As seen in FIG. 1, plates 94 are positioned on opposite sides of clamping cylinder 74.

As pointed out above, clamping cylinder '74 is pneumatically actuated. The structure of clamping cylinder 74 is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 8. Cylinder 74 basically comprises a cylindrical housing 100. Integral with said housing is a mounting plate 102 having holes 104 therein. The purpose of the plate is to secure the mounting cylinder to horizontal surface 58 by means of bolts passing through holes 104. The rear wall 106 of the cylinder includes a centrally located threaded hole 108, through which the inlet air passes. A piston assembly 110 is located within cylindrical housing and adjacent hole 108. A U-section piston cup 112 provides an air seal for the piston assembly. Secured within the piston assembly and slidably mounted in front plate 114 is piston rod 76. Telescopingly engaged over the piston rod and abutting front plate 114 and piston assembly is a compression spring 116.

In operation of the clamping cylinder, air is fed in through hole 108. This, in turn, causes piston assembly 110 to move forward, which, in turn, urges piston rod 76 forward. The piston cup substantially eliminates any air loss into the remainder of the cylindrical housing. As soon as the air supply is cut oif, and the pressure returns to atmospheric, compression spring 114 causes immediate piston return. It should also be noted that the air hole 108 is on the same center as piston rod 76, which insures maximum effectiveness. One type of clamping cylinder that can be used for this purpose is Schrader No. 3352 A which is shown in Catalog #50 of A. Schrad- 4 ers Son, Division of Scovill Mfg. Co., Inc., Brooklyn 38, N.Y.

The controls for clamping cylinder 74 basically comprise a two-way valve 118 and a quick exhaust valve 120.

Two-Way valve 118 is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6 and basically comprises a cylindrical valve housing 122 having a threaded inlet port 124 and a threaded outlet port 126. Housing 122 includes a downwardly extending wall 128 adjacent inlet port 124, and an upwardly extending wall 130 adjacent outlet port 126. These two walls meet to form a circular hole therebetween, through which the air entering the housing will pass to the outlet port. Surrounding this hole and fixedly secured to

walls

128 and 130 is a washer 132. A pair of holes 134 are provided in the upper portion of housing 122. The purpose of these holes is to provide a means for securing the valve to the apparatus in which it is to be used. A pair of bridges 136 (one shown) are integral with housing 122. These bridges are spaced apart a distance sufficient to receive a lever 138. Lever 138 is pivotally mounted between the two bridges 136 by means of a spring pin 140. Bridges 136 are also provided with a pair of holes 142 through which pass a pair of spring pins. It is thus seen that lever 138 is pivotally mounted between the two bridges and can be held in any set position by means of the spring pins. Lever 138 also contains a cam surface 144 at the lower end thereof, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter. A nut 146 is threadedly engaged in the top portion of housing 122. Slidably mounted within nut 146 is a plunger 148. Secured to the lower end of plunger 148 is a circular closure plate 150. Closure plate 150 is of a diameter which is slightly larger than the interior diameter of washer 132. A compression spring 152 telescopingly engages the lower tip of plunger 148 and abuts against the under surface of plate 150 and the bottom interior surface of housing 122.

In operation, outside air is fed into port 124. Air is prevented from passing through the valve by closure plate 150. However, by raising lever 138 from the position shown to a position which is slightly to the left of vertical, the cam surface 144 will depress plunger 148. This will, in turn, depress plate 150, thereby opening the hole formed between

walls

128 and 130. The incoming air will then be free to pass through the hole and out of outlet port 126. The flow of air can be immediately stopped by returning lever 138 back to the position shown. It is to be understood that the use of the lever can be varied by varying the cam surface. Thus, by changing the cam surface, the valve could be held in an open condition when the lever is in a position shown in FIG. 6. A suitable two-way valve is Schrader valve No. 3414 shown in Schrader Catalog #50.

A diagrammatic view of quick exhaust valve 120 is shown in FIG. 7. This valve basically comprises an upper inlet housing 154 and a lower outlet housing 156. Inlet housing 154 includes threaded inlet port 158. Lower outlet housing includes threaded outlet port and threaded exhaust port 162. The upper housing 154 is secured to lower housing 156 by means of screws 164. An air tight seal can be effectuated by means of a gasket 166. An air chamber 168 is formed between the upper and lower housings. A diaphragm 170 extends laterally across the air chamber and serves to seal exhaust port 162. It should be noted that diaphragm 170 is sufiiciently wide to cover the exhaust port but does not extend across the entire width of air chamber 168.

In operation, the incoming air is fed into port 158. The continued pressure of the incoming air forces diaphragm 170 over exhaust port 162 thereby sealing it. When the exhaust port is sealed, the air then passes through outlet 160. When the supply of incoming air is cut off, diaphragm 170 will be raised slightly and all of the air within the valve and the system will be quickly exhausted through port 162. A suitable quick exhaust valve is Schrader valve No. 3340 shown in Schrader Catalog #50.

The operative connections of the various valves are shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. As seen in FIG. 2, an angle bar 172 is welded, or otherwise secured, to the lower edge of vertical surface 60 of angle bar 56. Secured within angle bar 172 is a T-coupler 174 having an inlet port 176, an outlet port 178 and a branch outlet port 180. A length of air hose 182 is connected to inlet port 176, and a second length of air hose 182 is connected to outlet port 178. An air hose 184 connects branch outlet port 180 with inlet port 124 of two-way valve 118 (see FIGS. 2 and 4.)

Two-way valve 118 is connected to frame 38 by means of vertical plate 186 which is secured to horizontal surface 58 (FIG. 1). The connection is accomplished by means of bolts 188 which pass through the plate and holes 134 in valve 118. This connection is shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. An air hose 190 connects outlet port 126 with inlet port 158 of quick exhaust valve 120. A rigid pipe 192 connects outlet port 160 of valve 120 with inlet port 108 of cylinder 74. Rigid pipe 192 also serves to support valve 120.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, endless conveyor 22 is basically in the shape of an inverted U having parallel sides 194 and bridging section 196 integral therewith. Extending perpendicularly inward from sides 194 are flanges 198. These flanges are spaced apart by gap 208. Flanges 198 form a track on which racks 36 ride as they are moved around endless conveyer 22.

Racks 36 are slidably secured in conveyer 22 by means of roller assembly 202. Roller assembly 202 includes a bracket 204 having an upper horizontal leg 286, a lower horizontal leg 288, and a vertical leg 218 connecting the horizontal legs. Bracket 204 is secured to vertical shaft 212, which is, in turn, secured to horizontal face 46 of angle bar 42. The securements can be obtained by welding or any other known means. As seen in FIG. 1, each rack contains two roller assemblies 202.

A pair of shafts 214 are horizontally secured in horizontal leg 206. A pair of rollers 216 are rotatably mounted on the outer ends of each shaft 214. A second pair of shafts 218 are vertically secured between upper horizontal leg 206 and lower horizontal leg 288, and on opposite sides of vertical leg 210. A vertically disposed roller 220 is rotatably mounted on each of shafts 218.

Rack 36 is supported on conveyer 22 by rollers 216 which move longitudinally along flanges 198 (FIG. 2). Lateral movement of rollers 216 is prevented by rollers 220 which are aligned in gap 288. Rack 36 is maintained in its set vertical orientation by means of endless bar 222 which extends around the entire perimeter of endless conveyor 22. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, rounded nubs 54 abut against endless bar 222. Bar 222 and nubs 54 are provided with a coating of lubricant to maintain a freely sliding contact.

In operation, a flexible bag 90 is loaded on to the rack 36 at loading station 24 (FIG. 9). A jig 224 is used to obtain the proper vertical and horizontal orientation of the bag 98 within the rack 36. A suitable, flexible bag 90 can be that disclosed in the aforesaid copending application Serial No. 110,179. As seen in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, jig 224 includes a pair of horizontal bars 226 which are secured to bridging section 196 of conveyor 22. A vertically extending shaft 228 is secured in the outer end of each bar 226 by means of nuts 230 which are placed above and below the bar. The lower end 232 of the shaft 228 is threaded, and a bar 234 is secured to said lower end. Bar 234 includes an upper horizontal portion 236 adjacent threads 232, a vertical portion 238, and a lower outwardly extending horizontal portion 248. Portion 236 contains a hole therein and is secured to shaft 228 by nuts 242. The vertical orientation of bar (FIG. 12).

234 can be adjusted by raising and lowering nuts 242 on threaded portion 232. As seen in FIG. 11, two bars 234 are provided and lower portions 240 are at exactly the same height.

A bag is inserted in the rack by first separating

rods

70 and 86. This is accomplished by cutting off the air supply to clamping cylinder 74 which will cause piston rod 76 to retract. The method of cutting off the air supply is accomplished by moving lever 138 of valve 118 to the position shown in FIG. 6. Bag 90 is then inserted between

rods

78 and 86 by lifting it through the under side thereof. The height of the bag within the rack is determined by abutting the upper edge of the bag 98 against the lower edges of horizontal portions 240 of bar 234. When the bag has attained the desired orientation, two-way valve 118 is opened, which will cause air to enter clamping cylinder 74. The air pressure will force piston rod 76 forward thereby clamping the bag securely in place. So long as the air pressure is maintained within clamping cylinder 74, the two

rods

70 and 86 will remain clamped together.

With the bag clamped securely within rack 36, the rack is then moved by hand along the conveyor to filling station 26. At the filling station a plurality of bags (three shown) are filled automatically. The type of filling apparatus used is disclosed in Patent No. 2,967,004. Since all details of the apparatus are disclosed in said patent, the filling apparatus is shown only schematically herein. The apparatus basically includes a storage tank 244, a plurality of rigid egress lines 246, and a flexible tube 248 secured to the open end of each egress line. Since corrosive liquids are handled in the tank, all the pipes or tubes are made of corrosion resistant material such as neoprene. Tank 244 is supported by the frame supporting conveyor 22. As seen in FIG. 12, egress line 246 rests on horizontal face 196 of conveyer 22 and is bent around at its outward end and held in place by a pair of angle brackets 250. Flexible tubing 248 is secured to egress line 246 by any suitable non-corrosive connecting means.

The filling of the bags is illustrated in FIGS, 10 and 12. As seen in FIG. 4, when bag 98 is clamped in place, one end of the bag forms an open loop 252. The purpose of arcuate recess 72 in plate 68 is to accommodate the open loop. After three racks are arranged in tandem, a flexible tube 248 is placed in the open loop of each bag The dispensing apparatus is then hand actuated and sulphuric acid 254, or other corrosive liquid, is then dispensed in a measured amount into each of the bags. As explained in the aforesaid Patent No. 2,967,004, the dispensing and the measuring of the liquid are pneumatically controlled, whereby it is unnecessary for any corrosive metal parts to be contacted by the liquid.

After the bags are filled, they are moved to the heat sealing station 28. The heat sealing station includes a heat sealing device 256, a cold sealing device 258 and a control panel 260. The heat sealing device and the cold sealing device and their controls are well-known to the art and their specific structure form no part of this invention.

As seen in FIG. 13, the heat sealing device includes a supporting bracket 262 which has a centrally located recess 264 in the lower side thereof. A pair of pneumatic cylinders 266 are secured to bracket 262 with one located on each side of recess 264. Each cylinder 266 is provided with an air inlet tube 268 and an air exhaust tube 270. An electric cylindrical heating iron 272 is secured to the 62d of each piston rod 274 of the pneumatic cylinder. When a filled bag is placed adjacent arcuate recess 264, air is fed into pneumatic cylinders 266, thereby causing heating irons 272 to converge in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 13. The irons are kept in contact with the upper edge of the bag 90 until an eflective heat seal is obtained. The air supply to the cylinders is then cut off causing the heating irons to Withdraw.

. previously made.

After the heat seal has been effectuated, the rack is then moved to the cold sealing device. The cold sealing device is shown schematically in FIG. 14 and includes a supporting bracket 276. Secured to one lower end of bracket 276 is a pneumatic cylinder 278 having air inlet tube 280 and air exhaust tube 282. Secured to the other lower end of bracket 276 is a rod 284 through which is a coolant circulated. When air is supplied to cylinder 278, piston rod 286 having pressure plate 288 thereon is forced forward in the direction of the arrow. This clamping action serves to cool and set the heat seal which was The timing on the cold seal and heat seal is synchronized so that two bags may be accommodated at one time, as seen in FIG. 10.

After the cold sealing step, the rack is moved to the unloading station 30 (FIGS. 9 and 10). A corrugated box 290 is placed under bag 90 and the clamping

jaws

70 and 86 are opened, thereby releasing the bag. This opening is accomplished by closing two-way valve 118 which causes the air in the system to be immediately released through quick exhaust valve 120 and piston rod 76 to retract. The box 290, with filled and sealed bag 90 therein, is then placed on conveyor 292 on which the box will be subsequently sealed and loaded for shipment. The empty rack is then pushed by hand around the conveyer 22 in the direction of arrow 294 where it will subsequently be reloaded at loading station 24,

Conveyer 22 is conveniently suspended from the ceiling by means of bars 296. The purpose of the overhead suspensions is to allow for free movement of the air hoses 182 which are suspended from each of the racks 36. As seen in FIG. 10, all of the racks are connected in series along a single air hose 182 with a single source of air 298 entering hose 182 through T-connector 300 and hose 302. Thus, the air will be continually passing through T- coupler 174 of each rack. The admission of air to the clamping cylinder 74 of any particular rack is controlled by two-way valve 118. It should also be noted that enough slack is left in each section of hose 182 between adjacent racks to permit their being moved individually from one station along the conveyer to another. It should also be noted that the filling station and hot and cold sealing devices are also pneumatically operated and can draw their air from the same source as the bag supporting racks. Generally an air line pressure of 100 p.s.i. is used, which will give a clamping pressure of 300 p.s.i. for each clamping cylinder.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. An apparatus for filling a flexible bag with corrosive liquid comprising an endless conveyor, a plurality of bag supporting racks on said conveyor, each of said racks including a T-coupler for receiving air thereto, and a plurality of lengths of hose connecting the T-coupler of each rack with the T-coupler of an adjacent rack whereby air may be supplied to each of said racks through a series connection, each of said racks having a clamping bar which is air actuated, a filling device for filling said bags with a corrosive liquid, and a heat sealing assembly.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, and further including a bag loading station, said bag loading station having a jig thereat for determining the vertical and horizontal orientation of the bag when placed within the rack.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said filling device and said heat sealing assembly are pneumatically actuated.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each said bag supporting rack comprises a frame member, a pair of clamping bars associated with said frame member, at least one of said bars being movable toward and away from the other bar, and means for moving said movable bar towards said other bar, said moving means including a spring actuated pneumatic piston.

5. A bag supporting rack comprising a frame member, a pair of clamping bars associated with said frame member, at least one of said bars being movable toward and away from the other bar, means for moving said movable bar toward and away from said other bar, said moving means including a spring actuated pneumatic piston, a T- coupler secured to said frame, a two-way valve secured to said frame, hose means connecting said coupler to said two-way valve, a quick exhaust valve, hose means connecting said two-way valve to said quick exhaust valve and means connecting said quick exhaust valve to the air inlet side of a clamping cylinder which houses said pneumatic piston,

6. The rack of claim 5 and further including a resilient sleeve covering a substantial portion of each of said clamping bars.

7. The bag supporting rack of claim 5 and further including a roller assembly on said frame, said roller assembly being adapted to slidably support said rack within an endless conveyer.

8. The rack of claim 7 and further including a plurality of round nubs on said frame, said nubs being adapted to abut against an endless bar of said conveyer where-by the vertical orientation of the rack will be maintained on the conveyer.

9. A bag supporting rack comprising a frame member, a pair of clamping bars associated with said frame member, at least one of said bars being movable toward and away from the other bar, said other bar being secured to a rectangular plate which is, in turn, secured to said frame, said other bar extending along a major portion of the width of said plate, with said plate defining an enclosed recess at the portion wherein said other bar is absent, and means for moving said movable bar toward and away from said other bar, said moving means including a spring actuated pneumatic piston.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,125,758 3/1938 Waters.

2,491,226 12/1949 St. Jacques et al. 198-19 X 2,582,178 1/1952 Thompson 198-19 2,656,964 10/1953 Detrez 198-19 2,736,479 2/1956 Mclnerney 198-19 X 2,754,644 7/1956 Vergobbi et al 53-29 2,787,875 4/1957 Johnson 53-373 X 2,900,774 8/1959 Henriksen 53-126 2,967,004 1/ 1961 Lipshultz et al. 222- FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. LEIGHEY, Examiner.

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR FILLING A FLEXIBLE BAG WITH CORROSIVE LIQUID COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR, A PLURALITY OF BAG SUPPORTING RACKS ON SAID CONVEYOR, EACH OF SIAD RACKS INCLUDING A T-COUPLER FOR RECEIVING AIR THERETO, AND A PLURALITY OF LENGTHS OF HOSE CONNECTING THE T-COUPLER OF EACH RACK WITH THE T-COUPLER ON AN ADJACENT RACK WHEREBY AIR