Bag opening system

Abstract

To provide a system and an apparatus for putting the content of a bag to produce an acid solution for use in a hemodialysis system, into a mixing receptacle.SOLUTION: A system and an apparatus 10 for opening and emptying a bag containing material includes a base 20 having a pair of opposed sides and a central aperture 22 through which the material may flow. The system includes a pair of opposed doors 200 rotatably mounted on a pair of door shafts, and edges of the pair of opposed doors form an opening 230. The system further includes a plurality of piercing blades pivotably mounted to the base on a pivot rod, and the piercing blades may pivot so as to penetrate through the bag. The system further includes a cutting blade mounted transversely below the opening of the opposed doors, and the cutting blade may perform linear motion across the opening.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a system for mixing solutions using liquids and dry powders, and more specifically, to a system and apparatus for rapidly and completely opening a dry powder bag and discharging the contents of the bag into a mixing receptacle to produce an acid solution for use in an artificial dialysis system.

Background Art

[0002] Mixing various acidic solutions for a variety of medical clinical uses is required in the medical field. Many of these solutions are prepared on-site by mixing a predetermined amount of dry acid powder with a predetermined amount of water to produce an acid solution with a desired pH. Most of these prior art acid solution mixing systems require a significant amount of labor and waste time in handling. For example, a dry acid powder bag must be opened, a certain amount of powder measured, and placed into a suitable mixing container. Then, a certain amount of water must be carefully measured and poured into the container manually or by an electric paddle or other mixing or stirring machine.

[0003] Once the solution is mixed, a portion of it must be tested to determine that the appropriate pH or solution concentration has been achieved. If a pre-measured dry acid bag is used to produce the solution, great care must be taken to ensure that the bag is completely emptied to produce a predetermined amount of solution with the desired pH. Even a slight variation in pH can cause a major failure in medical applications such as artificial dialysis if the pH or concentration of the solution is inaccurate even slightly, so the portion must be adjusted and remixed. In these prior art mixing systems, even when some parts of the process are automated, a large amount of labor intensive to the user is required for the mixing process.

[0004] In many applications involving dry acid powders, the powder tends to accumulate or adhere to the sides of the bag, making it difficult to completely empty the bag. Typically, the bag must be carefully opened by hand, and the contents transferred to a receptacle or hopper for further processing and mixing. Clearly, this procedure requires a significant amount of manual labor, especially for large batches. Each bag must be carefully opened and emptied, with care taken to ensure that all powder is completely removed and subsequently discarded by hand. In large-scale medical systems used for hemodialysis, this procedure can be quite cumbersome and unreliable, requiring repeated testing and mixing to produce consistent solution batches.

[0005] Therefore, in this technical field, there is a need for a dry powder bag opening system, such as an acid solution mixing system that minimizes user effort while ensuring that each bag used is completely emptied, thereby providing consistent mixing, quality control, and accurate pH in each batch of the solution being prepared. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] Various embodiments and aspects of the present invention generally address the aforementioned drawbacks in systems for mixing solutions, more specifically, systems for automatically opening pre-measured dry acid powder mixtures and transferring their contents to a mixing tank to produce solutions with a desired pH or concentration. While the various implementations and embodiments described herein primarily refer to systems for emptying and mixing bags of dry acid powder to produce acid solutions, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will recognize that such systems can be used to open and empty a wide variety of powder bags containing any of the wide variety of fluids without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the systems described herein are not limited to mixing acid solutions, but rather may be implemented to mix any solution using powders or dry materials contained in bags containing liquids or fluids.

[0007] It should be recognized that all combinations of the aforementioned and additional concepts described in more detail below (assuming such concepts are inconsistent with one another) are considered to be part of the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of subject matter described in the claims found at the end of this disclosure are considered to be part of the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein. It should also be recognized that the terminology used herein as expressly is found in any disclosure incorporated by reference should be recognized as having the most consistent meaning with the particular concepts disclosed herein.

[0008] Before describing in detail typical embodiments consistent with this disclosure, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited in its intended use to structural details and configurations expressed in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. This disclosure enables embodiments other than those described and can be implemented and performed in a variety of ways. Furthermore, it should be understood that the terminology and language used in this specification and abstract are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered limiting.

[0009] In various aspects and embodiments, the described system provides a device for holding, piercing, cutting, and emptying a bag containing, for example, a form of material for further processing of a dry powder. The combination of elements works to completely empty the bag, removing the powder material even if aggregates may be present. This system and device offers many advantages over existing mixing systems that typically require manual opening and addition of powder material.

[0010] In some embodiments, the bag to be opened is positioned over a pair of opposing rotatable doors having an opening between them, thereby allowing the central portion of the bag to be left unsupported over an opening or opening leading to a mixing tank, hopper, mixing line, or other container used for further mixing and / or processing. In various embodiments, the doors have various slots or holes inside, through which multiple through blades and gripping blades are arranged to penetrate the bag while it is being opened. The through blades perform a number of functions, namely, reducing the air pressure in the bag, crushing any agglutinating material in the bag, and acting to securely hold the bag against the rotatable doors while the system is operating.

[0011] In various embodiments, a cutting blade is provided that is pulled along a transverse path to the bag on the bottom surface to initiate the process of opening the bag and thus emptying its contents directly above the door opening. In some embodiments, the cutting blade is actuated by a rack and pinion system that smoothly and consistently pulls the cutting blade across the bottom of the bag in the same position each time the system is activated.

[0012] In other aspects and embodiments of the system, a pair of opposing rotatable doors may pivot together to operate in such a way that they compress and empty the bag being gripped by the gripping blades. In some embodiments, the rotation of the doors may be repeated to ensure that the bag is completely emptied.

[0013] In other aspects and embodiments, the components of the system may be operated by a controller or processor capable of operating or supplying energy to any necessary motors and other electromechanical components that may form part of the system. In various aspects and embodiments of the present invention, the processor or controller is provided having a signal and / or data input unit and a signal and / or data output unit for receiving electrical signals from and supplying electrical signals to the components of the present invention. The controller may also include a data memory for storing commands to operate various components of the invention and an operator interface or equivalent user input unit, enabling an operator to receive data from the system and provide commands to the user.

[0014] In some aspects and embodiments, the controller may store information provided through an operator interface associated with the empty and mixed powder bag, so that each batch being mixed can be tracked by powder batch number, manufacturer, release date, and size, referring to some typical but non-limiting data that can be stored and tracked.

[0015] The accompanying drawings, incorporated and forming part of this specification, illustrate typical but non-limiting embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to illustrate the principles of this disclosure.

[0016] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the concepts and principles of the inventions on which this disclosure is based can be readily used as a basis for designing other structures, systems, methods, and products for carrying out the purposes of this disclosure. Accordingly, the claims appended herein should be construed as encompassing such equivalent structures without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions disclosed herein. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is an isometric view of a bag opening system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Partial isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Plan view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] View of a bag opening system taken along line 4A-4A of FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Partial isometric view of a bag opening system according to some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 6] Partial isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] Partial isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] View of a bag opening system taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] Partial isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] View of a bag opening system taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] Plan view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] View of a bag opening system taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] Partial isometric view of a bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] View of a bag opening system taken along line 16-16 of FIG. 15 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17]An isometric view of the door of the bag opening system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] A view of the through-blade pivot rod according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] A view of the through-blade pivot rod taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 18 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] A view of the through-blade pivot rod taken along line 20-20 of FIG. 19 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] A view of the through-blade pivot rod taken along line 21-21 of FIG. 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] A block diagram of the controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Referring here to the drawings, particularly Figure 1-3, a bag (1) opening system (10) for opening and emptying a bag (1) containing powder (2) or any substance so that the powder (2) can be deposited into a hopper, mixing tank, or other receptacle for mixing or further processing, according to some aspects and typical embodiments of the present invention, comprises a base (20) to which the system (10) is mounted and supported. The base (20) is generally flat and may have an opening (22) or vent in part thereof, so that the contents (2) of the bag (1) can flow into a hopper or other container located beneath the opening (22) of the base (20). In some aspects and embodiments, the system (10) may comprise a pair of opposing ends (30) extending from the base (20) and a pair of opposing sides (40) extending from the base (20). The base (20), end (30), and sides (40) generally form a box or container in which the bag (1) can be placed, as will be further described below. In addition, the base (20), end (30), and sides (40) may be formed from a material that does not react with the material (1) deposited in the open bag (1). In some aspects and embodiments, the base (20) may be composed of polytetrafluoroethylene or a similar nonreactive material, but a variety of materials may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0019] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2-6, the system (10) includes a bag penetration assembly (100) having two pairs of opposing penetration blades (110) for gripping and penetrating a bag (1). Each pair of penetration blades (110) is rotatable around a center of gravity axis and is mounted on a pivot rod (120) that acts to move the penetration blades (110) from an open position, as shown in Figure 1, to a closed or penetrating position, as shown in Figure 5. In some aspects and embodiments, the pivot rod (120) is fixed to a blade mounting block (130) to which the penetration blades (110) are rigidly fixed. The penetration blades (110) are actuated by the pivot rod (120) and the accompanying blade mounting block (130) using actuators, for example, through a 90-degree rotation, although it is recognized that the penetration blades (110) may be rotated by approximately 90 degrees depending on the specific bag (1) opening application without departing from the scope of the invention. While the various embodiments disclosed herein envision two pairs of opposing through blades (110), it should be understood that more or fewer through blades (100) may be used in the system (10) without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0020] Referring again to Figures 1-5 and 14, and in further aspects and embodiments, the system (10) comprises a pair of opposing doors (200) rotatably mounted between the sides (40) of the system (10). Each door (200) may have a generally straight rear wall (210) having at least two slots (212) that can extend when the through blade (110) is closed. Each door (200) may also have a bottom (220) for supporting the bag (1), and an internally formed curved portion or curved edge (222) to facilitate the contents (2) of the bag (1) falling through the opening (22) when the system (10) is in operation.

[0021] In some aspects and embodiments, the door (200) is rotatably fixed to the side (40) at a point close to the end of the curved edge (222) to further facilitate the material from coming out of the bag (1). In a typical embodiment, the door (200) is fixed to a door shaft (240) located directly below the door bottom (220), as best depicted in Figures 15 and 16, the door shaft (240) forces the door (200) upward and rotates around the door shaft (240), thereby forcing the powder (1) out of the bag (1) or compressing it in that manner. In addition, referring again to Figure 1-5, the curved edge (222) of the opposing door (200) forms an opening or gap (230), over which the bag (1) is not supported so that the bag (1) opens directly below the gap (230), and the powder (2) easily falls downward through the opening (22) of the base (22). Like the base (20), the opposing door (200) may be made of any material that is not affected by the removal of the powder (2) from the bag (1). In some typical embodiments, the door (200) may be made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0022] Referring here to Figures 1-3 and 4-7, according to several embodiments of the present invention, the cutting blade assembly (300) comprises a cutting blade (310) fixed at its end (322) to a cutting gear rack (320). The cutting gear rack (320) is mounted to allow linear motion and is positioned laterally to the longitudinal axis of the base (20) and positioned between the curved edges (222) of the opposing doors (220) and directly below the base opening (22). The cutting blade (310) contacts the bottom of the bag (1) when the gear rack (320) is operated, thereby positioning it to open the bag (1) along the lateral line directly above the base opening (22). In several aspects and embodiments, once the bag (1) is opened by the operation of the cutting blade (310), the cutting blade (310) is then returned to its original position until the bag (1) is empty, as detailed below herein. The cutting blade (310) may be made from any one of several metals or ceramics, and in some embodiments, it may be composed of a material that does not react with the contents (2) of the bag (1).

[0023] Referring here to Figures 2, 3, 7, and 8, according to various aspects and embodiments, the system (10) comprises a through blade (110), a cutting blade (310), and an actuation assembly (400) for acting on an opposing door (200). The actuation assembly (400) consists of a rack and pinion cassette (410) fixed to one side (40) of the system (10) to engage with and actuate a pivot rod (120), a door shaft (240), and a cutting blade gear rack (320). The rack and pinion cassette (410) may comprise an inner wall (412) on which the rack and pinion gear is mounted, as seen in Figure 8, and an outer wall (414) on which a plurality of actuator motors are mounted to engage and drive the pinion gear, as best depicted in Figure 8.

[0024] In various embodiments and configurations, the rack and pinion cassette (410) comprises a door actuator rack (420) slidably mounted along the longitudinal axis of the cassette (410) and engaged by a door actuator pinion gear (422). The door actuator pinion gear (422) also engages with one door actuator shaft gear (424), which is fixed to and rotates the door actuator shaft (240). The other door actuator shaft gear (424) is engaged with and driven by the door actuator rack (420). As shown in Figure 7, a door actuator motor (430) is mounted on the pinion gear (422) such that when operated, the pinion gear (422) rotates, thereby imparting rotation to both actuator shaft gears (424), the actuator shaft (240), and the door (200). In this configuration, and as is best seen in Figures 15 and 16, the door actuator motor (430) may be operated at a predetermined time to move the door (200) upward and integrally, thereby forcing the contents (2) of the bag (1) out of the bag (1) through the opening (22).

[0025] Referring further to Figures 7 and 8, in a similar manner, for the operation of the door (200), the rack and pinion cassette (410) is provided by mounting the through-blade (110) actuator rack (440) longitudinally along the cassette (410), which is engaged by the through-blade actuator pinion gear (442). The through-blade actuator pinion gear (442) also engages with one through-blade pivot rod gear (444) which is fixed to and rotates the through-blade pivot rod (120). The other through-blade pivot rod gear (444) is engaged with and driven by the through-blade actuator rack (440). As shown in Figure 7, a through-blade actuator motor (450) is mounted on the pinion gear (442) such that when in operation the pinion gear (442) rotates, thereby imparting rotation to both pivot rod gears (444), the pivot rod (120), and the through-blade (110). In this configuration, as is most commonly seen in Figure 9-12, at a predetermined time, the through-blade actuator motor (450) operates to force the through-blade (110) to rotate, thereby puncturing and grasping the bag (1) and holding the bag (1) securely, as detailed below herein, while the system (10) operates to cut open and empty the bag (1).

[0026] Referring to Figures 7 and 9-14, according to various aspects and embodiments, the cutting gear rack (320) is actuated by a cutting pinion gear (322) mounted on the outer wall (414) of the rack and pinion cassette (410) in close proximity to the end of the gear rack (320). A cutting blade motor (340) is also installed to engage and drive the cutting pinion gear (322), thereby moving and engaging the cutting gear rack (320) laterally across the base (20), and cutting the bag (1) with the cutting blade (310). Thus, when the cutting blade motor (340) is operated, the cutting blade (310) is operated to open the bag (1), thereby beginning to empty the bag (1).

[0027] It should be noted that in various embodiments, the cutting blade motor (340), the door actuator motor (430), and the through-blade actuator motor (450) may be electric servo motors or similar AC or DC electric motors, as may be required for a given bag (1) opening system. Various motors may be used as the cutting blade motor (340), the door actuator motor (430), and the through-blade actuator motor without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0028] In various aspects and embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in Figure 22, the processor (500) or controller may be provided having a signal and / or data input unit (502) and a signal and / or data and / or power output unit (504) for receiving and supplying various electrical signals from and to components of the present invention, such as servo motors, limit switches, and resolvers. The controller (500) may also include a data memory (510) for storing commands to operate various components of the invention and an operator interface (520) or equivalent user input unit, enabling an operator to receive and verify data and various operating parameters of the system (10) and provide user commands to the controller (500). In some embodiments, the input unit (502) and output unit (504) of the processor (500) may be operably connected to actuator motors used to operate the through blade (110), door (200), and cutting blade (310) of the system (10). The processor (500) may be operablely connected to a barcode scanner (530) or similar device to detect, scan, and store bag (1) and fluid batch information in data memory (510). Furthermore, the operator interface (120) may be used to start the operation of the system (10) by selecting a "start" or "open bag" icon to initiate an operation sequence.

[0029] Referring here to Figure 9-14, the system (10) performs the action of opening and emptying the bag (1) once the user has placed the bag (1) containing the powder (2) or other similar substance in the center of the door (200). The controller (500) may, in some embodiments, be provided with a suitable set of programs or instructions that enable the controller (500) to actuate or energize the components of the system (10) according to the following typical but non-limiting embodiments. First, the operator interface (520) may be used to select a “start” icon or a push button to initiate the opening of the bag (1). The controller (500) then energizes the output (504) necessary to actuate the motor in the following sequence. First, the through-blade (110) actuator motor (450) is energized to rotate the through-blade (110) to tear and grip the bag (1), as seen in Figure 11-12. Once the bag (1) is firmly gripped, the motor (340) of the cutting blade (310) is activated, thereby forcing the cutting blade (310) across the bottom of the bag (1) to cut open the bag (1). The powder (2) released from the bag (1) begins to fall through the door (200) and opening (22) into a receptacle, mixing tank, mixing line, or other container (not shown). The controller (400) then energizes the door actuator motor (430) so that the door (200) is forced to rotate around the shaft (240) and open, thereby opening the bag (1) and allowing the powder (2) to exit through the opening. After a predetermined period, the door actuator motor (430) is reversed, returning the door to its closed position. In some aspects and embodiments, the door actuator motor repeatedly opens and closes the door (200) over a predetermined number of times and / or through a predetermined arc of rotation to encourage the bag (1) to be completely emptied. Furthermore, the cutting blade motor (340) returns the blade (310) to its initial position, and the through blade motor (450) returns the through blade (110) to its initial position.Afterward, the empty bag (1) can be removed from the system (10).

[0030] The terms “processor” or, alternatively, “controller” are used herein to describe various devices related to the operation of one or more light sources. Controllers can be implemented in numerous ways (e.g., by using dedicated hardware) to perform the various functions described herein. A “processor” is an example of a controller that utilizes one or more microprocessors that can be programmed using software (e.g., microcode or machine language instructions) to perform the various functions described herein. Controllers can be implemented with or without the use of a processor, and can be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware for performing some functions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuits) for performing other functions. Examples of controller components that can be used in various embodiments of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0031] In various implementations, a processor or controller may be associated with one or more storage media (generally referred to herein as “memory,” e.g., volatile and non-volatile computer memory such as RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM, floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes, etc.). In some implementations, a storage medium may be coded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and / or controllers, perform at least some of the functions described herein. Various storage media may be fixed within the processor or controller, and as a result, one or more programs stored in the storage media can be loaded into the processor or controller to perform various aspects of this disclosure as described herein. The terms “program” or “computer program” are used in a general sense to refer to any type of computer code (e.g., software or microcode) available for programming one or more processors or controllers.

[0032] The term “user interface” means, as used herein, an interface between a user or operator and one or more devices that enables interaction between the user and the device. Examples of user interfaces that may be used in various implementations of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, switches, potentiometers, buttons, dials, sliders, mice, keyboards, keypads, various types of game controllers (e.g., joysticks), trackballs, display screens, various types of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), smartphones, watches, tablets, personal computing platforms, touchscreens, microphones, and other types of sensors that can receive some form of human-generated stimuli and generate signals accordingly.

[0033] As used herein, the terms “motor” or “actuator motor” may refer to any device used to actuate a pinion gear or other operating mechanism that forms part of the system (10). Motors mentioned in various embodiments may be electrically operated and may have an analog or digital position feedback output that is operably connected to a controller input indicating the motor position. In addition, the motor may be a servo motor, a DC motor, or an AC motor without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0034] The detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention described above are provided primarily for clarity, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood or implied therefrom. Modifications to the invention in various embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art when reading this disclosure and are made without departing from the scope of the invention and the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A system for opening and emptying a bag containing a substance, the system is A base having a pair of opposing sides, A pair of opposing doors rotatably fixed between the opposing sides, each door having a bottom end at its edge, the edges of the pair of opposing doors forming an open section, and the pair of opposing doors pivoting near the open section between the pair of opposing doors, Rear walls extending from each of the doors, thereby positioning the bag between the rear walls and above the opening, Multiple slots through the aforementioned opposing doors, Multiple through blades pivotably mounted on the base, each through blade pivotably through the multiple slots to penetrate and secure the bag, A cutting blade is provided laterally below the opening of the opposing door, and is capable of moving across the opening to cut open the bag. A rack and pinion cassette fixed to one of the opposing sides of the base, wherein the cassette is Door actuator rack gear and door actuator pinion gear that engage with the door shaft fixed to each door. A through-blade actuator rack gear and a through-blade pinion gear for pivoting the plurality of through-blade, and A cutting blade gear rack, on which the cutting blade is fixed, and a cutting pinion gear for engaging the cutting blade gear rack, are provided below the opening of the opposing door. A rack and pinion cassette, A system characterized by comprising:

2. A door actuator motor drives the door actuator pinion gear to open and close the door, A through-blade actuator motor drives the through-blade pinion gear to operate the plurality of through-blade, A cutting blade motor that drives the cutting pinion gear to operate the cutting blade, The system according to claim 1, characterized by comprising:

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a data memory, a plurality of input and output units for supplying and receiving signals, and an operator interface operably connected to the controller for receiving user commands, the output unit of the controller being operably connected to the door actuator motor, the through blade actuator motor, and the cutting blade motor.

4. A device for opening and emptying a bag containing a substance, the device is A base having a pair of opposing sides and an opening through which the substance exits, A pair of opposing rotatable doors are provided between the opposing sides, each door having a bottom that terminates at its edge, and the edges of the pair of opposing rotatable doors form an open portion; At least one pair of opposing through blades, which are pivotable to penetrate the bag, A pair of slots in each door, through which at least one pair of through blades pivot and penetrate and secure a bag positioned in the door, A cutting blade, mounted below the opening of the opposing rotatable door, which is capable of moving across the opening to open the bag, A rack and pinion cassette fixed to one of the opposing sides of the base, wherein the cassette is A door actuator that rotates the door between a closed position and an open position. A through-blade actuator for rotating the at least one pair of through-blades between a closed position and an open position, and A cutting blade gear rack moves the cutting blade across the opening to cut open the bag. A rack and pinion cassette, An apparatus characterized by comprising:

5. A door actuator motor drives the door actuator to open and close the door, A through-blade actuator motor for opening and closing the at least one pair of through-blades, A cutting blade motor that operates the aforementioned cutting blade gear rack, The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by comprising:

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller comprises a data memory, a plurality of input and output units for supplying and receiving signals, and an operator interface operably connected to the controller for receiving user commands, the output unit of the controller being operably connected to the door actuator motor, the through blade actuator motor, and the cutting blade motor.

7. The aforementioned controller, The penetrating blade actuator motor is operated to penetrate the bag, The cutting blade motor is activated to cut the aforementioned bag. The door actuator motor is activated to fold and empty the bag through the opening in the base. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized by executing a series of instructions for the purpose of

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the controller executes a series of commands to operate the door actuator motor to fold and empty the bag a predetermined number of times in order to empty the bag.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the controller executes a series of commands to operate the door actuator motor to fold and empty the bag a predetermined number of times through a predetermined range of operations in order to empty the bag.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the door actuator motor, the through-blade actuator motor, and the cutting blade motor are servo motors.

11. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the door and the base are formed from polytetrafluoroethylene.

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