STATE OF THE ART Expansive fiber bales are well known in the current state of the art.

Basically, such bales are made to facilitate the transport and storage of said materials, since, when not pressed or compacted, they configure excessive volumes, which handling and transportation become provided with high difficulty levels.

It is therefore a known procedure in the state of the art to compact a predetermined volume of expansive fibers, so to compose bales of different sizes and weights, with the consequent purpose to facilitate handling, transport and storage operations.

The skills to make out such bales is based on the use of presses compressing a predetermined volume of fibers until compacted blocks of expansive fibers are formed, which should be fixed still on the press, since, once the mechanical compression force is released, there is strong expansion of such fibers, so that, in case such fixing is not efficient, there will be a trend to loose or disrupt the means employed for said fixing, thus causing various problems in both stock or transport means places.

Various forms to fix these bales are known and widely used in various countries with the same purpose, i. e. to compact and fix the

expansive fiber bale. We can basically highlight as the fixing systems known worldwide those systems with wires (quick-link), with steel bands and plastic bands.

It is important to stress, however, that the state of the art has a natural trend to the use of fixing systems employing metallic means, notably for reasons of mechanical resistance, since, as stated, the disruption of the fixing system causes serious problems.

Bearing this in mind, the wire system is essentially based upon the use of wires to involve and fix the obtained bale by means of the compression given by a press. Although largely employed in the current state of the art, this system presents a series of inconveniences which are known by those skilled in the art, among them we highlight : a. oxidation due to the metal characteristics of the wire, which can generate fiber contamination; b. products used to preserve the metal, such as greases and oils, can also determine possible contamination; c. when various bales are fixed with wires located side by side, the unavoidable friction between the metallic materials, notably during transport procedures, may generate sparks which end up by firing the fibers; a particularity in this kind of burning is the fact that, once started, it becomes very difficult to be extinguished before all the matter is burned out; d. due to the risk of fire, insurance costs become very high, with consequences to the whole commercial cycle of the product; e. the weight of the bale becomes equally high, thus causing related increases in freight; and f. risk of accidents with press operators, notably when wires are cut.

The system using so-called steel bands uses steel bands instead of wires to involve and fix the bale, using mechanical systems based on staples or seals, also made of metal, to fix said bands, by means of

smashing, pneumatic systems or even a few electric systems. Basically, all the problems inherent to wires are present in the so-called wire bands, notably because they are linked to the use of metal material.

The system employing plastic bands is mainly used in developed countries and is based on the use of plastic bands of high mechanical resistance. In this system, the main problem is related to joining or fixing the edges of the plastic bands. The used skill is usually welding.

However, to weld with appropriate resistance, the use of high-cost special soldering equipment becomes required. Besides having high cost, the manufacturer only supplies soldering machines jointly with presses, thus making this system become financially unfeasible. Furthermore, said system could never meet medium and small-sized companies, not leaving any expectations to commercially strengthen them.

THE NEW SYSTEM The system created by the inventor makes use of plastic bands, particularly high mechanical resistance bands preferably made with PET, nylon or any compatible plastic material, in which said bands can have their dimensions vary in terms of width and thickness, as a function of the desired applications which are linked to the features of the bales to be fixed.

It is a feature of this invention to present a system to fix plastic bands to an expansive fiber bale in which edges are fixed without the use of any equipment and without the inconveniences of metal bands or wires.

It is also a feature of the invention the fact that the bands are located in trays existing in the press itself, while the bale is compressed and compacted by it, in which the passage and contour of said bands follows specific configuration, i. e. on a press with a predetermined quantity of trays, bands used for fixing are divided into sections, with the band sometimes in parallel contour and sometimes with crossed contour,

being said contours as many as the number of trays per section. Closing each section, the edges of the band are folded similarly to inverted claws and introduced one under the other band, generating fixing increasing in direct proportion to the expansion of the bale, once the pressure exerted by the press is released.

Basically, the system can be developed upon the location of bands in continuous sequence, or upon the location of bands in opposed symmetric sequence, being the option done determined according to the specific conditions of each bale or press, or upon user's option.

The resulting bale is a bale which is compatible with the measurements if compared with bales fixed according to conventional systems, also having a three times lower tare in comparison with the wire system (six wires).

The fact that the band is applied in sections causes that, when a given band is eventually disrupted, only that section is prejudiced, with the others being kept intact.

We therefore have a system with low execution cost, which is fully efficient and produces a highly resistant expansive fiber bale, with plastic bands applied by sections, also reducing the final weight of the set.

Furthermore, the system does not need any kind of equipment as currently required to join and lock the edges of plastic bands conventionally used in expansive fiber bales.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES The invention will now be explained with reference to the attached drawings, which represent: Figure 1: perspective view of an expansive fiber bale positioned on the press, with plastic bands applied by sections in continuous sequence, showing the side of band folding and their feeding side, detailing folds and band roll, also in perspective;

Figure 2: perspective view of the expansive fiber bale of Figure 1 with the starting release of press compression, analogously showing the side of folding the bands and their feeding side, detailing folds and band roll, also in perspective; Figure 3: perspective view of the expansive fiber bale highlighting the path of plastic bands applied by sections in continued sequence; Figure 4: perspective view of plastic bands with details of crossing, overlaying and folds of the edges for locking, in continued sequence; Figure 5: perspective view of the expansive fiber bale shown in dotted lines, jointly with the press, with plastic bands in full lines applied by sections in continued sequence; Figure 6: perspective view of the expansive fiber bale in full lines, jointly with the press, being plastic bands represented in dotted lines applied by sections in continued sequence; Figure 7: perspective view of plastic bands following the path made in the expansive fiber bale as applied by sections in continued sequence; Figure 8: perspective view of an expansive fiber bale positioned on the press, with the plastic bands applied in symmetric sequence opposed by sections, showing the side of folding the bands and their feeding side, detailing the folds and band roll, also in perspective; Figure 9: perspective view of the expansive fiber bale highlighting the path of plastic bands in symmetric sequence opposed by sections, being the bands represented in dotted lines ; Figure 10: perspective view of plastic bands detailing crossing, overlaying and folds of edges for locking in opposed symmetric sequence; and Figure 11: perspective view of plastic bands following the path they make on the expansive fiber bale, in opposed symmetric sequence by sections.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The"SYSTEM TO FIX EXPANSIVE FIBER BALE AND BALE WITH APPLIED SYSTEM"object of this application for a Patent of Invention is applicable to expansive fibers in general, such as e. g. cotton, wool, cork and other similar materials which fibers are naturally expansive, and should be compacted for reasons of transport and storage.

To compose the expansive fiber bale (1), a conventional press (2) is used and may be provided with different quantities of trays (3). It is common practice in this field to use six or eight trays; and, as an example, we show in this patent figures with six trays (3).

The system as properly said requires the use of a press (2) in which a given volume of expansive fibers is pressed and compacted to form the expansive fiber bale (1). The plates of the press (2) are provided with a number of trays (3) in which plastic bands (4) are applied in paths defining parallel (P) and crossed (C1) contours, forming sections (S) at each given quantity of trays (3).

Said plastic bands (4) may be made of various plastic materials with appropriate mechanical resistance for the application at issue and, in a preferential embodiment, we mention PET and nylon, as well as similar materials with compatible properties. Field tests and studies have shown that plastic bands (4) should preferably be 10 to 32 mm wide and 0.5 to 2 mm thick.

In further detail, the system allows to obtain an expansive fiber bale (1) from the activation of the press (2) which plates define trays (3) in confronting positions, so to configure with the press (2) a folding side (L) and a feeding side (L1). As previously stated, plastic bands (4) are applied along the previously compressed bale (1) from sections (S), and each one of the mentioned sections may be composed by a given variable quantity of trays (3). In the attached figures, we exemplify bales

(1) with six trays (3), divided into two sections of three trays each; however, it is common practice in the market to compose bales with eight trays (3), and in this case we would have end sections of three trays and one intermediate section with two trays, or two sections of four trays.

Obviously, said market feature does not exclude the possibility to produce bales with more or less trays (3).

Therefore, once compressed and compacted, the expansive fiber bale (1) should start, in the continuous sequence by sections (Figures 1 to 7), from the end and higher tray (3a) at the left of the operator, to feed the plastic band (4a), starting from the first section, so that said band, with its end folded in a claw, passes from the feeding side (L1) to the folding side (L), developing a parallel contour, returning to the feeding side (L1) through the end lower tray (3b). Subsequently, the edge of the band is inserted into the second higher tray (3a), forming a diagonal which again goes to the folding side (L) and returns to the feeding side (L1) through the second lower tray (3b); diagonally again, it is inserted in the third higher tray (3a), going again to the folding side (L1) and returning through the third lower tray (3b) to the feeding side (L1). At this point, the band is again inserted in the third higher tray (3a) still with the edge folded in a claw (5), but this time under the band located therein up to about 10 cm below the higher vertex of the bale on the folding side (L) where the first lock will be made. After locking, since it is continuous and still being dispensed from the roll (R1) (not cut yet), the band should be adjusted with return of the excessive quantity, then keeping the bale within desirable measurements after the press is opened. When the adjustment is made, the band is cut in enough size to, with the edge folded in a claw, again enter the first left lower tray (3b) above the already existing band, until arriving at the folding side (L) 10 cm above the lower vertex of the bale (1), with the claw shaped band fold remaining inside the already existing band, where the second lock will be made, completing and

ending the section. All this procedure is done with slightly loose bands (allowing them to be relatively easily handled), being the tension adjustment promoted at the end of each section (S), with the new section always starting the same way, keeping the above described sequence.

The plastic bands (4) at the ends of each section are always locked with the claw edges (5) inverted so to reach full efficiency.

As previously described, the quantity of trays (3) per section may vary as desired, with the same applying to the total of sections (S), but the application and fixing procedure through plastic bands always follows the described sequence.

It is a conventional procedure, e. g. inherent to the already existing wire systems, to use two operators, i. e. one at the feeding side (L1) and another at the folding side (L), which is maintained in the present system.

Once the plastic bands (4) are fixed, the press (2) releases the pressure over the expansive fiber bale (1), so that such bale (1) is inclined to be taken off. In that moment, fibers expand and force the full locking of plastic bands (4), which naturally increases somewhat the measurements of the bale (1), but keeping high compactation, i. e. resulting in a bale (1) within the desired measurements.

In the opposed symmetric sequence (Figures 8 to 11), plastic bands (4) have a different contour, and the feeding of each plastic band (4a) starts on the intermediate higher tray (3a) of each section (S), following a parallel sequence (P) on the folding side (L) and an"X" crossed sequence (S1) on the feeding side (L1), while the claw edges (5) are obviously on the folding side (L) and locked according to the same previous skill, i. e. by underlaying said bands (4a) with the claw folded edges (5) to the external parallel bands (4a), so to confine said claw folds (5) between the bands and the bale (1). More specifically, feeding starts from the central higher tray (3a) of each section (S) (in the case of six trays, the third one, and, in case of eight trays, the fourth from the end),

so that said band (4) with the claw folded edge (5) follows from the feeding side (L1) to the folding side (L) to return to the feeding side (L1) through the lower tray (3b) and follows crosswise to the subsequent higher tray (3a), where it is introduced and taken up to the folding side (L) and from there goes down in parallel up to the lower tray (3b), returning to the feeding side (L1) through said tray, from which it elevates, again crosswise, up to the end higher tray (3a), passing to the folding side (L) where it goes down in parallel up to the end lower tray (3b), returning to the feeding side (L1), being then taken crosswise inverted up to the intermediate higher tray (3a), forming an"X", and being again passed to the folding side (L), but under the band existent therein until about 10 cm below the higher vertex of the bale on the folding side (L), where the first locking will occur. After being locked, the band (4), since it is continuous and still being dispensed from the roll (R1) (it was not cut), should be adjusted by returning the excess and still keep the bale (1) under desirable measurements after the press is open. After the adjustment, the band is cut in enough size to, with the claw folded edge (5), again enter the first central lower tray (3b) over the already existent band, until arriving at the folding side (L) 10 cm above the lower vertex of the bale, with the claw shaped band fold (4) being inside the already existent band (4), where the second locking will be made, completing and ending the section.

The resulting bale (1) is an expansive fiber bale fixed by plastic bands applied over corresponding trays (3), following as many sections (S) as required, following parallel and crossed contours and locking said plastic bands (4) as guaranteed by claw type edges (5) always inserted between one band (4) and the bale (1), being the location of said edges (5) inverted in both ends defining each section (S); on the feeding side (L1), the bale (1) presents, when plastic bands (4) are applied in continuous sequence, parallel end bands, limiting each section (S), and

crossed or oblique intermediary bands, connecting trays (3b) and (3a) at each section (S) as mentioned, while the folding side (L) is composed by parallel (vertical) bands (4).

When the bands (4) are applied in opposed symmetric sequence, the bale (1) presents, at each section (S), on the feeding side (L1), end bands crossed in an"X" (S1), followed by oblique or crossed bands and parallel (vertical) central bands which are the origin of feeding from each section (S), while, on the folding side (L), parallel (vertical) bands are planned.

One of the most important features of the present system is that, in the case of an eventual disruption of a plastic band (4) (which can occur due to material failures), only that section will be compromised and all the others will be kept intact.