Background Art: There is a great diversity of applications where compressible material is compacted into a bale for storage, transport and handling.

Such baling operations are presently performed by baling presses which have a vertically moveable pressing plate arranged to move downwardly and compress lightly packed material which has been loaded into the baler. The pressing plate is then removed upwardly allowing further material to be inserted and the process repeated until the baler is full of highly compressed material.

Variations of this design, see the pressing action occurring in the horizontal plane. Optionally, retaining systems can be fitted to prevent material from"springing"back as the pressing plate is removed.

Baling presses of this type have the disadvantage that additional material can not be introduced for compaction until the pressing plate is fully remove upwardly. Thus material can only be added once per pressing cycle, making the baling operation labour intensive. It also represents poor utilisation of labour as the machine requires constant supervision, but can only be loaded once per pressing cycle. Further, there is considerable limitations to the amount of material that can be added in each cycle.

Disclosure of the Invention: It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pressing system which will go, at least, part of the way toward obviating or minimising the foregoing disadvantages in a simple yet effective manner.

The present invention therefore provides a Baling Press consisting of a base fig. 1 (1) and two sides fig. 1 (2 & 2a) of the compression chamber fig. 2 (3), constructed as an integral unit. The other two sides of the compression chamber fig. 2 (3) are pivotally attached fig. 1 (4 & 5), allowing removal of bale. The front side of the compression chamber forms a door fig. 1 (6), called the lower front door, with latch fig. 2 (7).

The left and right sides of the compression chamber are provided with abutments fig. 3 (8) onto which the pressing arm assembles fig. 2 (9) are pivoted.

Mounted above the compression chamber, attached to its upper edge, is a structure forming a holding chamber fig. 2 (10), which feeds material into the compression chamber. The front side of the holding chamber forms a door fig. 2 (11), called the upper front door, with latch fig. 2 (12).

The remainder of the holding chamber is formed from side walls, which have arcuate portions fig. 2 (13) provided with vertical slots fig. 3 (14) therein, and polymer extensions fig. 3 (15) closing upper 70% of slots to prevent small material passing through slots. One side wall is pivotally attached fig. 1 (4) to rear wall fig. 1 (2) to allow ease of bale removal.

The Baling Press is powered by an electrical/hydraulic system, with all functions monitored and controlled by electronics. Hydraulic cylinders fig. 2 (16) are mounted to the lower sides of the compression chamber fig. 2 (3), supplying power to the pressing finger assembly fig. 2 (17), and another is mounted to the rear fig. 4 (18) to power the bale ejection arms fig. 4 (19).

All compressible materials require some form of retention system when compacted and removed from the baler. In many applications, ropes, strings, straps or wire, placed in a plurality of places around the bale, is sufficient. This baler has been designed particularly, though not solely, for applying string ties around the bale. String is supplied on rolls and placed in a container at the side of the baler fig. 5 (20). The string end is inserted through the string locking unit fig. 3 (21) and sufficient string is drawn through to allow it to be placed under retaining clips fig. 3 & fig. 5 (22), having ends attached to hooks fig. 5 (23). String is free to be drawn through string locking unit fig. 3 (21) only when upper front door fig. 2 (11) is fully opened.

The string lock unit fig. 3 (21) consists of an outer tube welded to top of holding chamber extending full width of holding chamber. Inserted into outer fixed tube is smaller diameter tube fig. 3 (24) of slightly longer length, attached to the front end is a finger fig. 3 (25), which is in turn attached by linkage fig. 3 (26) to upper front door fig. 2 (11), such that when upper front door is fully opened, inner tube fig. 3 (24) rotates 90 degrees. Both tubes, when assembled, have string retaining holes fig. 3 (27), strategically placed and drilled at 90 degrees to the tube axis, such that when upper front door is fully opened, string passes freely through holes in both tubes.

Two strings fig. 3 (28) are shown strategically located between pressing fingers, with option of further strings in same plane as those depicted, or transversely placed from rear to front of baler.

The baling press further comprises pivotally attached arm assembly fig. 2 (9) at pin fig. 2 (29) mounted to abutment fig. 3 (8), with finger assembly fig. 2 (17) pivotally attached to arm assembly at pin fig. 2 (30), such that during compression stroke (cylinder shaft withdrawing into cylinder), finger assembly is extended rigidly from arm assembly, but relaxes and pivots to approx. 90 degrees with arm assembly during cylinder shaft extension.

When power is switched on to electronic controller fig. 6, all detection systems are disabled during a 4 second delay, and all internal circuits are placed into reset. The electronic controller has button switches for up fig. 6 (31), down fig. 6 (32), and eject fig. 6 (33), with a key switch fig. 6 (34) for power on. When either the up or down buttons are pressed the electric motor starts immediately, and after a brief delay, the finger assembly is driven, thus giving an audible warning of baling press activity.

Following initial loading of holding chamber (10), as can be seen from fig. (7), finger assembly (17) is initially latched (35) into fully extended vertical position. When baler is initially operated by the activation of "down"button (32), motor starts, and finger assembly (17) begins to travel down (fig. 9), drawing material from the holding chamber down into compression chamber (3).

The pressing fingers (17) are so shaped as to draw material away from centre of compression chamber toward side walls, thus achieving greater density. As the volume of material in the compression chamber (3) increase, the shape of the pressing fingers (17) also create an interlocking effect of the material, thus reducing spring-back of material.

After finger assembly (17) transverses 70% of travel, latch assembly fig. 8 (35) releases finger assembly (17) from rigid extension of arm assembly (9), allowing finger assembly (17) to rotate on pivot (30) with arm assembly (9), in preparation for return stroke of cylinders. Finger assembly (17) continues in compression direction until cylinder shaft has fully contracted into cylinder (16) as in fig. (8), with material compressed beneath finger assembly (17). Finger assembly remain in this position, with material under compression, until further material is deposited into holding chamber (10), which is equipped with electronic material sensors fig. 5 (36), so that when further material is deposited causes interruption of electronic infra-red beam, enabling electronic controller fig. 6 to automatically initiate a further pressing cycle.

The automatic pressing function of the electronic controller fig. 6 is to cause the finger assembly (17) to cycle up and down from this initial compression stroke under control of"emergency off"switch fig. 6 (37), safety bar switch fig. 2 (38), upper front door safety switch fig. 2 (39), "bale full"switch fig. 8 (40), and holding chamber electronic material sensors fig. 5 (36).

When a further pressing cycle has been initiated, cylinder (16) extends, releasing compression on material in compression chamber (3), and due to geometry of arm assembly (9), finger assembly (17) and hydraulic cylinder assembly (16), pivoting fig. 2 (41) on the finger assembly (17), causing finger assembly (17) to relax and pivot (30) in relation to arm assembly (9), which in turn is pivoted (29) on the compression chamber frame abutments (8), thus withdrawing finger assembly (17) from the bottom of slots (14) in holding chamber (10) side wall, without disturbing unpressed material above pressing finger

assembly (17), until finger assembly (17) is completely free of holding chamber (10) area.

Once finger assembly (17) is free of holding chamber (10) area, a rotational effect is applied to finger assembly (17) in relation to arm assembly (9), due to the continuing extension and mounting geometry of the cylinders (16) and pivoting (30) arm assembly (9) reaching limit of travel, stopping against polymer stopper fig. 2 (42), thus causing finger assembly (17) to reach a fully extended position in relation to the arm assembly (9), without the requirement of springs or other secondary devices.

Pressing finger assembly (17) locks into this position against abutment fig. 5 (43) on arm assembly (9) via a spring loaded latch (35) preventing pivotal (30) movement of finger assembly (17) with arm assembly (9) whilst finger assembly (17) travels in compression stroke, ensuring finger assembly (17) collects material in holding chamber (10).

The arm assembly (9) has damper fig. 2 (44) incorporated to reduce noise and vibration whilst pressing finger assembly is being returned from compression stroke.

Upon reaching end of stroke of cylinder (16), full hydraulic oil pressure is applied to hydraulic pressure switches mounted in solenoid manifold block, which signal to electronic controller fig. 6 that stroke has ended.

A bale full indicator lamp signals when bale full switch (40) is no longer operated at end of each compression stroke when full hydraulic oil pressure can no longer force cylinder (16) to fully retract. Electronic controller fig. 6 ignores further signal from holding chamber material sensors (36), thereby removing automatic cycle function of baler.

Manual function of baler remains active, enabling pressing of additional material left in holding chamber (10) if any, ensuring pressing finger assembly cycle ceases at full material compression.

Upper holding chamber front door (11) can be opened causing electronic controller fig. 6 to enter reset mode, and if fully opened, string lock (21) releases strings (28) allowing bale to be tied off.

Manual function of electronic controller remains active, to enable"up" button (31) to be activated, thus allowing retraction of pressing finger assembly (17) to fully up position fig. 7, with upper front door (11) open, and also to allow bale ejection, by the activation of"bale eject"button (33), when lower front door (6) has been opened.

In high pressure baling presses, material is tightly compacted within the compression chamber (3), thereby creating considerable friction between bale and compression chamber (3) side walls. To ease bale ejection, one side wall of compression chamber fig. 1 (2b) is hinged outward by approx. 5 degrees. Fig. 1 shows a linkage system that ties the 5 degree side wall rotation, to the 100 degree lower front door (6) opening rotation.

Fig. (4) shows bale ejection cylinder (18) which causes a rotational effect to bale ejection arms (19) when"bale eject"button (33) is activated. Bale ejection arms (19) are free to return to normal when "bale eject"button (33) is no longer activated.

Claims: 1. A bale pressing system incorporating a pivoted frame assembly (arm assembly), pivotally attached to a single unit cluster of fixed fingers (finger assembly), the geometry so designed to allow the finger assembly, during compression stroke, to travel through a holding chamber, which supplies a compression chamber, so as to cause a semi-lateral and interlocking effect to the compressed material, and when on return stroke the finger assembly withdraws from the bottom of the holding chamber, rotates to fully extended position and locks, the actuating means being double acting hydraulic cylinders, driven by an integrated electronic auto/manual control system.

2. A bale pressing system as in Claim (1) above, where the holding chamber may have a set of finger and arm assemblies on opposite sides of the chamber for the compression of material in the compression box.

3. A bale pressing system as in preceding claims, where increased bale density is achieved using multiple fingers on a finger assembly, which supply a greater pressure per square inch of surface area, as compared to a conventional pressing plate.

4. A bale pressing system as in preceding claims, with the shape of the pressing fingers such as to create an interlocking effect on the material, thereby greatly reducing spring-back of compressed material.

5. A bale pressing system as in preceding claims, with pressing fingers shaped so as to force materials being pressed to the side walls of the pressing chamber, resulting in much denser bales.

6. A bale pressing system as in preceding claims, where increased bale density is achieved by finger assembly maintaining pressure on material in compression chamber, whilst insufficient material in holding chamber to cause activity of pressing system, or a bale full condition, thus causing a settling effect of material under pressure in compression chamber.

7. A bale pressing system as in preceding claims, with pressing fingers, after having completed their compression stroke, the actuating means having reversed their direction of stroke, and due to geometry of arm, finger and hydraulic cylinder assembly, pivots on the arm assembly, which in turn is pivoted on the compression chamber frame abutments, causes the fingers to draw out through the bottom of the slots in the holding chamber side wall as the arm assembly rotates upwardly, without disturbing the unpressed material above the pressing fingers, until they are completely free of the holding chamber area.

8. A bale pressing system as in preceding claims, with pressing fingers, after having withdrawn from the bottom of the holding