Apparatus for handling flat, flexible web products

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring first to FIG.
1, the symbol F designates the frame of the web product handling apparatus which is seen to include side frames 10 and 10'--see the lower portion of FIG.
4.
The overall arrangement of the machine can be seen in FIG.
3 where the numeral 11 in the upper left denotes a bag sealer, i.
e.
, a machine for developing transverse seals in a layered web.
In the illustration given, the transverse seals do not effect separation of the continuous layered web into discrete products, viz.
, individual bags.
That function is performed by the knife roll 12 operating against an anvil roll 13 seen in the upper left hand portion of FIG.
1.
This step is schematically illustrated in FIG.
1A where a discrete bag B is seen in the process of being formed.
Operation Generally After a bag has been developed by cutoff, it enters a speed-up conveyor generally designated 14 and which includes an upper belt run 15 and a lower belt run 16.
The belts 15 and 16 are operating at a speed faster than the speed of advance of the web entering the cutoff station made up of the rolls 12 and 13.
This results in the bags being spaced apart as illustrated in FIG.
1B.
To maintain control over the individual bags B, the upper belt 15 is made of screening and runs under a vacuum box or manifold 17.
The bags next encounter a first gripping means generally designated 18 and which is made up of a plurality of grippers 19--see the upper central portion of FIG.
6.
The grippers sequentially grip the bags B in the stream being conveyed by the belt system 14 and move the bags serially around an arcuate path to be deposited on an elevator 20.
After a predetermined number of bags have been deposited on the elevator 20, the deactivating means depicted in FIG.
6 (to be described hereinafter) cause the grippers 19 to be closed, thus permitting the stream of bags to continue under the influence of vacuumized screen belt 15 and a second lower belt 21 until they reach the second gripping means generally designated 22