DEVICE & METHOD FOR FILLING MULTIPLE SANDBAGS AT A TIME

• US 20110005636A1
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barrier1 Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Barrier1 Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Hartley, Joseph W. III
• Granted Patent: US 7,942,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/04 Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/06 by gravity flow
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/54 Means for supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 67/1222 characterised by means for suspending sacks, e.g. pedal- operated
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/404 comprising two parts movable relative to each other, e.g. for gripping

Abstract

An implement for mechanically filling multiple sandbags at a time is used on a loader bucket of loader-type equipment. The implement has a planar surface in which a plurality of filler apertures are formed in a plurality of rows evenly spaced over its surface area. Each filler aperture has a tensioner ring around the aperture for holding a drawstring held in a sleeve around an open end of the sandbag. A trigger mechanism is movable to a locked position in which the drawstring of the sandbag is pulled tight so that the open end of the sandbag is held in place on the tensioner ring, to an unlocked position in which the trigger mechanism lifts the drawstring off the tensioner ring to allow the sandbag filled with filler material to pull on and cinch the open end of the sandbag closed, and to a release position in which the cinched sandbag is released to the ground.

Claims

1. A device for mechanically filling multiple sandbags for use on a loader bucket of loader-type equipment comprising:

a bag-filling implement having an attachment mechanism for attachment to the loader bucket of the loader-type equipment so that it can be maneuvered to scoop filler material onto the implement, and a planar surface having a plurality of filler apertures arranged in a plurality of rows and evenly spaced over its surface area,

wherein said filler apertures each have a tensioner ring around the aperture for holding a drawstring in a sleeve around an open end of the sandbag thereon, and a trigger mechanism which is movable to a locked position in which the drawstring of the sandbag is pulled tight so that the open end of the sandbag is held in place on the tensioner ring, to an unlocked position in which the trigger mechanism lifts the drawstring off the tensioner ring to allow the sandbag filled with filler material to pull on and cinch the open end of the sandbag closed by the weight of the filled sandbag on the drawstring, and to a release position in which the cinched sandbag is released to the ground.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bag-filling implement is held by attachment hooks along a back edge of the loader bucket of a standard loader equipment and maneuvered by a hydraulic ram coupled to an attachment point on said implement.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bag-filling implement is held by attachment hooks along a back edge of the loader bucket of a standard 4&

1 type loader equipment and maneuvered by a scoop component of the loader bucket.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said bag-filling implement has a plurality of attachment slots along a bearing bar on its back edge into and on which attachment hooks provided along the back edge of the loader bucket are engaged.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bag-filling implement has an inclined front scoop portion for scooping filler material onto its planar surface.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bag-filling implement has the trigger mechanisms of all of the apertures in each row aligned on the same side and coupled for rotation by a pivot shaft extending laterally across the surface width on the underside of the planar surface of said implement.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein said bag-filling implement has the pivot shafts terminating in respective pivot gears which are engaged with a toothed rack or bar that is moved linearly bidirectionally to turn the pivot gears in the desired rotational directions.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said toothed rack or bar is moved linearly by a hydraulic ram of the loader-type equipment.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein each said trigger mechanism is a component rotatable in a trigger slot on a pivot pin axis coupled to the underside of the planar surface of said implement, and has a notch on a free end thereof for holding an end of a drawstring of a sandbag therein.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein said trigger mechanism is rotatable to a horizontal (3 o'"'"'clock) position in a direction away from the tensioner ring to pull the drawstring taut and lock the open end of the sandbag on the tensioner ring, and when the sandbag has been filled with sand, the trigger mechanism is rotated to an upright (12 o'"'"'clock) position to slacken the drawstring and allow the open end of the sandbag to pull off from the tensioner ring and to cinch the open end of the sandbag closed by the weight of the filled sandbags on the drawstring, and when the implement is positioned over the area where the sandbags are to be dropped, the trigger mechanism is rotated counterclockwise to a release (past 9 o'"'"'clock) position to release the sandbag to the ground.

11. A device according to claim 7, wherein the pivot gears have stepped ratios of respective gear sizes so that each row is released in timed phases of movement of the toothed rack or bar moved linearly by the hydraulic ram.

12. A method for filling multiple sandbags using a loader bucket of loader-type equipment comprising:

attaching a bag-filling implement to the loader bucket of the loader-type equipment so that it can be maneuvered to scoop filler material onto the implement,

providing a plurality of filler apertures arranged in a plurality of rows and evenly spaced over a planar surface area of the implement,

providing each of the filler apertures with a tensioner ring for holding a drawstring in a sleeve around an open end of the sandbag thereon, and a trigger mechanism which is movable to a locked position in which the drawstring of the sandbag is pulled tight so that the open end of the sandbag is held in place on the tensioner ring, to an unlocked position in which the trigger mechanism lifts the drawstring off the tensioner ring to allow the sandbag filled with filler material to pull on and cinch the open end of the sandbag closed by the weight of the filled sandbag on the drawstring, and to a release position in which the cinched sandbag is released to the ground.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said trigger mechanisms of all of the apertures in each row are aligned on the same side and coupled for operation together.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said trigger mechanisms are coupled to a pivot shaft extending laterally across the surface width on the underside of the planar surface of said implement.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the pivot shafts terminate in respective pivot gears which are engaged with a toothed rack or bar that is moved linearly bidirectionally to turn the pivot gears in the desired rotational directions.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein each said trigger mechanism is a component rotatable in a trigger slot on a pivot pin axis coupled to the underside of the planar surface of said implement, and has a notch on a free end thereof for holding an end of a drawstring of a sandbag therein.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said trigger mechanism is rotatable to a horizontal (3 o'"'"'clock) position in a direction away from the tensioner ring to pull the drawstring taut and lock the open end of the sandbag on the tensioner ring, and when the sandbag has been filled with sand, the trigger mechanism is rotated to an upright (12 o'"'"'clock) position to slacken the drawstring and allow the open end of the sandbag to pull off from the tensioner ring and to cinch the open end of the sandbag closed by the weight of the filled sandbags on the drawstring, and when the implement is positioned over the area where the sandbags are to be dropped, the trigger mechanism is rotated counterclockwise to a release (past 9 o'"'"'clock) position to release the sandbag to the ground.

18. A method according to claim 12, which is adapted for use on a loader bucket of standard loader equipment, wherein the apertures of said bag-filling implement have an offset spacing from apertures in adjacent rows.

19. A sandbag adapted to be held on a tensioner ring of a sandbag filling device, comprising:

a sandbag volume formed by a bag having a closed end and an opposite open end communicating into the sandbag volume for filling filler material therein, a sleeve formed along an edge of the open end for holding a drawstring therein, and a drawstring held in the sleeve and having a length selected to enable the drawstring to be drawn taut to hold the open end in place over the tensioner ring for filling filler material therein.

20. A sandbag according to claim 19, having a full diameter of about 10 inches which provides an open end diameter of about 8 inches when placed on the tensioner ring, and the drawstring is formed in a closed loop of about 25 inches in circumferential length.