FR2715604A1 - Integrated system for manufacturing and handling packaging materials used for the archiving of photographic films developed. - Google Patents

Abstract

A sleeving material (10) for film archiving includes first and second flexible, translucent, continuous webs (12, 13) secured together to form multiple film receiving pockets (24), each pocket (24) having an opening adjacent to one of the lateral edges (14, 15). The webs (12, 13) are perforated at tear-off lines (16) evenly spaced along the webs (12, 13) such that the tear-off lines (16) organize the pockets (24) into sheets (18). Each sheet (18) has archiving retention features, which can take the form of 1) punched or cut holes (32) integrally formed in the webs (12, 13), or 2) channels shaped to receive conventional hanging file hangers. In addition, each sheet (18) includes a printed header (28) on which identifying material can be written and sensor marks (30) aligned with the pockets (24) to indicate the location of the respective pockets (24) for a film loading device. Continuous web converting methods are disclosed for fabricating this sleeving material (10).

Description

 The present invention relates to a packaging material used for storing a developed photographic film (of the negative or positive type), and to a continuous web process for the manufacture of the packaging material.

 There is a substantial need for efficient means for storing developed films, such as 35 mm negatives. For example, police departments, magazine and newspaper publishers, and research institutions of all types are users of large volumes of photographic film, and often need to archive the developed film for research and use. later.

 There are products on the market which allow a developed film to be stored in pouches formed in sheets or films of transparent or semi-transparent plastic material.

These plastic sheets with pouches are called packing material. In its simplest form, this packaging material consists of two sheets or films of transparent or semi-transparent plastic which define pouches formed by heat-sealing beads.

This packaging material is produced on a continuous belt plant and is delivered to the user in rolls. One-hour type photographic development facilities virtually universally utilize this simple form of packaging material because the packaging material is available at low cost, and the machines that facilitate the loading of the film into the material Packing are readily available. This simple packing material is not well suited to organized grading because nothing is planned to separate the packing material into separate sheets of uniform length, nothing is expected to record information about the film contained in the packaging material, and there is no provision for keeping the packaging material in a ring or hanging folder.

 An upper film storage system consists of individual sheets of uniformly sized packaging material which contain film storage pouches as in the simplest form described above. These sheets of packaging material also provide for the recording of information in a header area, as well as perforated holes along an edge that correspond to the standard ring binder spacing. Some of these single sheet type film storage systems are also designed to accept a standard hanging file suspension member that is commercially available. From the point of view of film storage, this product is a substantial improvement in the packaging material that is commonly produced in continuous belt machines.

However, a major disadvantage of this system is that the cost per sheet is relatively high because this packaging material is not produced on a continuous web machine. In addition, because the packaging material is not delivered as a roll, it is more difficult and it takes longer to load the film into the packaging material, even when a special machine is used. because of the need to manipulate individual sheets.

A film storage system of this type which includes a special machine that can be used to load film into the packaging material is disclosed in detail in US Pat. No. 4,787,766 in the name of US Pat.
Lorsch. When exposing the background of his invention, Lorsch states that the wrapping material in rolls does not permit filing in ring binders or hanging folders. In column 1, lines 57 to 64, Lorsch states that the common practice when storing film strips in a ring binder or equivalent is to remove the film from the pouches of a packaging material of the type conventional roller, and then manually placing the film in the pouches of the sheet-like packing material intended for archiving storage. This is a cumbersome, labor-intensive and costly approach.

 A method of manufacturing slide packaging material by the continuous web method and including perforation lines for easy tearing of sheets of any length is disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,911,777 to Truc. The Truc patent relates to a storage system for manually mounted slides rather than a strip photographic film. Since the packaging material provided by the Truc process can be delivered in roll form, it is suitable for use with slide loading equipment to facilitate the loading of the slides into the packaging material. However, with the Truc system, the structure that enables the packing material to be classified in ring binders or hanging folders is adhesively affixed to each individual sheet once the sheet has been separated from the roll. Although the economy of continuous web manufacturing is achieved through the packaging material, the additional structure necessary to allow organized storage of the individual sheets is achieved by an expensive secondary operation. In addition, if the conversion of the wrapping material into a storage sheet is done before loading the slides, which is the procedure described by Truc, the opportunity to use a machine to load slides into a packaging material in roll is lost.

 The elaborate method described by Truc for creating the structure for ring binder sheets or for hanging file sheets once again demonstrates the importance of these features for a film storage system.

Truc fails to incorporate these features into a continuous web manufacturing process, but in fact invokes an expensive secondary operation.

 There is a need for film packaging which incorporates all the desired characteristics found in the various types of film packaging material described above, and which can be manufactured by the continuous web process, without secondary operations. intended to provide means for organized storage. This film wrapping material should preferably be delivered in the form of a roll which can be used in a film loading machine.

 According to a first aspect of this invention, a film packaging material is provided and includes transparent, flexible first and second continuous strips secured together to form a plurality of film receiving pouches. The strips define a longitudinal direction and have first and second side edges oriented along the longitudinal direction. The pouches are oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction, each pouch having an opening adjacent to one of the side edges. The strips are perforated at tear lines equally spaced along the strips, and adjacent tear lines are separated by several pockets so that the tear lines organize the sheets into sheets. The tapes include archival retention means integrally formed in the tapes such that each of the sheets has a respective set of archive retention means. The strips also include a plurality of identification areas, each disposed on a respective sheet and adapted to receive identification information, and a plurality of detection indicia, each aligned with a respective pocket to indicate to a film loading device that location of the respective pocket.

 According to a second aspect of this invention, a method is provided for forming a film packaging material and comprises the following steps.

First and second web portions are provided and extend continuously in the longitudinal direction. Selected portions of the strip portions are secured together to form film receiving pouches. These pouches extend transversely to the longitudinal direction, and each pouch defines an aperture positioned adjacent a lateral edge of the tape portions.

The band portions are perforated to form tear lines at equally spaced intervals along the longitudinal direction. Adjacent tear lines are separated by several pockets so that the tear lines divide the sheets into sheets. At least one archiving retainer is formed in each sheet, and each sheet is printed with a label indicating an identification area intended to receive handwritten marks, and the strip portions are wrapped around an axis after the previous steps to form a roll of leaves.

 The packaging material of the present invention is not limited to 35 mm film applications. The packaging material can also be manufactured to store roll films developed in other formats such as 120, 127 and 70 mm.

 The invention, with other objects and advantages, will be better understood with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a roll of film packaging material incorporating a first preferred embodiment of this invention.

 Fig. 2 is a top view of a single sheet of packaging material which has been separated from the roll of Fig. 1.

 Fig. 3 is a top view of a second embodiment of a sheet of packaging material made according to the present invention which has been separated from the roll.

 Fig. 4 is a top view of a third embodiment of a sheet of packaging material made in accordance with the present invention which has been separated from the roll.

 Fig. 5 is a top view of a fourth embodiment of a sheet of packaging material made according to the present invention which has been separated from the roll.

 Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a first preferred embodiment of a method of manufacturing a film packaging material according to this invention.

 Figure 7 is a schematic view of the folding station of Figure 6.

 Figure 8 is a schematic view of the heat sealing station of Figure 6.

 FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the perforation station of FIG. 6.

 Fig. 10 is a schematic view of an etch printing process suitable for use in the printing station of Fig. 6.

 Fig. 11 is a schematic view of a flexographic printing process suitable for use in the printing station of Fig. 6.

 FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a rotary punching apparatus adapted for use in the punching station of FIG. 6.

 Fig. 13 is a schematic view of a hole cutting apparatus adapted for use in the hole cutting station of Fig. 6.

 FIGS. 14 and 15 are sectional views of two hole cutting drums suitable for use in the system of FIG. 13.

 Fig. 16 is a schematic view of a second preferred embodiment of a method of manufacturing film packaging material according to this invention.

 FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the connection station of FIG. 16.

 Fig. 18 is a schematic view of a third preferred embodiment of a method for manufacturing a film packaging material according to this invention.

 FIG. 19 is a schematic view of an apparatus adapted for use in the cutting station of FIG. 18.

 Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a film loading machine which can be used to facilitate loading of the developed film into the pouches of the packaging material of the present invention.

 Referring now to the figures, Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a roll of film packaging material which incorporates a first embodiment of this invention. The roll 10 consists of two continuous, translucent, flexible strips 12, 13 which define lateral edges 14, 15 extending parallel to a longitudinal direction L.

 The strips 12, 13 may be formed from a plastic sheet of polyethylene or polypropylene resin. It is obvious that other types of resin are also suitable for particular applications. Typically, the thickness of the strips 12, 13 is in the range of 3.8 hundredths of a millimeter to 6.4 hundredths of a millimeter.

A suitable plastic starter sheet is readily available from many manufacturers.

In some cases, the plastic sheet is delivered as a rolled flattened tube if the plastic sheet is made by the process known as a blown film process. Otherwise, the usual form of the plastic sheet is a large roll of a sheet in a single thickness. The starting sheet can be transparent or semi-transparent, depending on the application. As used herein, the translucent term is intended to cover both types of starting sheet.

 As shown in Fig. 1, perforation lines 16 are formed at regularly spaced intervals along the longitudinal direction. These perforation lines provide tear lines that divide the strips 12, 13 into a row of successive sheets 18.

 A plurality of parallel heat-sealed cords 20 are provided in each row of sheets 18. In addition, heat-sealed dots 22 are provided adjacent to the side edge 14. Cords 20 and dots 22 cooperate to form pockets 24 which are closed on three sides. sides by cords 20 and points 22 and define apertures 26 adjacent to the remaining side. As shown in Figure 1, these openings 26 are positioned adjacent to the side edge 15. Each of the pockets 24 is sized to receive a film web, for example a developed negative. The width of the individual pouches 24 is appropriately selected for the intended film.

 Each of the sheets 18 also includes a header 28 which serves as an identification area. Each header 28 is printed with a label that indicates that the header 28 is intended to receive handwritten marks. The headers allow the user to mark each of the sheets 18 with identifying information. Optionally, the header 28 may also be printed with an ink that receives handwritten marks, such as an ink forming a white background.

 Each of the sheets 18 is also printed with a row of detection marks 30.

These detection marks 30 are each aligned with a respective pouch 24 so that the detection marks 30 define the location of the associated pouches 24. The detection marks 30 are used to indicate the location of the pockets for film loading devices used to load film into the pockets 24.

The detection marks 30 and the pockets 24 are not positioned equally along the longitudinal direction L. It should be noted that the headers 28 increase the separation between the last pocket of a sheet and the first pocket of the sheet next, compared to the spacing between adjacent pockets on a single sheet.

 Sheets 18 also define arch retention means which, in this embodiment, take the form of holes 32 which are formed in strips 12, 13 with appropriate spacing to receive the rings of a ring binder. (not shown)

 In the coiled form shown in FIG. 1, the strips 12, 13 are spirally wound along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the pouches 24 extend substantially transversely both to the lateral edges 14, 15 and to the longitudinal direction L.

 Fig. 2 is a top view of one of the sheets 18 once it has been separated from the roll 10. In this embodiment, the pockets 24 are provided for use with 35 mm film.

Each sheet 18 allows six pieces of film to be stored, each piece of film having five views. Preferred dimensions are indicated by references in Figure 2, and preferred values for these dimensions are shown in Table 1.

 Figure 3 shows a sheet 18 'of a second preferred embodiment. The sheet 18 'has also been designed for use with 35 mm film. In this case, there are four pockets 24 ', and each pocket 24' is long enough to contain a length of film having seven views.

In this case, the holes 32 'are punched or cut along an axis extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pockets 24'. The header 28 'is formed in two sections as shown, and a channel 31' is formed in the area of the openings 32 '. This channel 31 'is defined by heat-sealed cords 20', 21 ', and is open at each end. The end of the channel 31 'adjacent to the fold line may be cut or punched at the same time as the holes 32' are formed. A hanging backrest member may be moved into the channel 31 'after the sheet 18' has been removed from the roll. Such a backrest member 34 'includes ends designed to hold the sheet 18' in place between parallel rails (not shown). As in the first embodiment of Figure 2, one of the side edges 14 'is in this case formed by a fold line while the other side edge 15' is formed by the exposed edges of the strips 12 ', 13 . Once again, the representative dimensions are indicated by references in the drawings, and these references are defined in Table 1.

 Fig. 4 shows a third embodiment of a sheet 18 "which is quite similar to the sheet 18 'of Fig. 3. The main difference lies in the fact that the strips 12' ', 13' 'are two separate pieces rather than a single folded piece as described above, in which case heat-sealed dots 22 "are provided to close one end of the pockets 24." Table 1 provides typical dimensions.

 Figure 5 shows a top view of a sheet 18 '"of a fourth preferred embodiment once it has been separated from the roll. The sheet 18 '' 'is similar to the sheet 18 of FIG. 2, except that the strips 12' '', 13 '' 'are formed by two sides of a continuous tube, and therefore the two side edges 14 15 '' 'are formed as fold lines rather than free edges, in which case a split opening 36' '' is formed in one of the strips 12 '' 'to provide an opening for them. A channel is formed for a backrest member 34 "'by the fold line at the side edge 14' '' and heat-sealed spots 22" '.This channel is generally aligned with the openings 24' ''. 32 '' 'and is open at both ends to allow the ends of a backrest member 34' '' to protrude, Table 1 provides typical dimensions.

Table 1 Preferred dimensions (mm)

<tb> Al <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> A2 <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> A3 <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> A4 <SEP> = <SEP> 3
<tb> B1 <SEP> = <SEP> 18.4 <SEP> B2 <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> B3 <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> B4 <SEP> = <SEP> 18 4
<tb> C1 <SEP> = <SEP> 279.4 <SEP> C2 <SEP> = <SEP> 222.3 <SEP> C3 <SEP> = <SEP> 222.3 <SEP> C4 <SEP> = <SEP> 279.4
<tb> D1 <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> D2 <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> D3 <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> D4 <SEP> = <SEP> 3
<tb> El <SEP> = <SEP> 3 <SEP> E2 <SEP> = <SEP> 277 <SEP> E3 <SEP> = <SEP> 274 <SEP> E4 <SEP> = <SEP> 195
<tb> F1 <SEP> = <SEP> 215 <SEP> F2 <SEP> = <SEP> 280 <SEP> F3 <SEP> = <SEP> 280 <SEP> F4 <SEP> = <SEP> 215
<tb> G1 <SEP> = <SEP> 17 <SEP> G2 <SEP> = <SEP> 16.3 <SEP> G3 <SEP> = <SEP> 16.3 <SEP> G4 <SEP> = <SEP > 20
<tb> H1 <SEP> = <SEP> 10 <SEP> H2 <SEP> = <SEP> 200 <SEP> H3 <SEP> = <SEP> 200 <SEP> H4 <SEP> = <SEP> 10
<tb> I1 <SEP> = <SEP> 42.5 <SEP> I2 <SEP> = <SEP> 40 <SEP> I3 <SEP> = <SEP> 40 <SEP> I4 <SEP> = <SEP> 42 5
<tb><SEP> J4 <SEP> = <SEP> 15
<Tb>
The first embodiment comprising the sheet 18 is in some ways the easiest to manufacture. The ring binder holes 32 are punched or cut along the left edge, and the left edge is the folded edge. The right edge is open for insertion of the film. The width of the sheet 18 is typically 215 mm (8.5 inches). This embodiment is intended to be used for archiving in a ring binder only, with the ring binder being used in a standard book orientation.

 The sheets 18 'and 18' '(Figures 3 and 4) are intended for archiving in a ring binder or in a suspended folder. When used with a ring binder, the binder's orientation is rotated 900 in a clockwise direction relative to the orientation of a standard book. The ring binder holes 32 ', 32 "are aligned transversely to the tape direction The left edge is the folded edge (Figure 3) or the heat sealed edge (Figure 4), and the right edge is open for insertion of the film When used in a suspended backrest, a standard backrest suspension member 34 ', 34' 'is first inserted into the channel which is aligned with the punched or cut holes 32' ', 32' '. In this embodiment, the width of the packaging material is typically about 279.4 mm (11 inches).

 The fourth embodiment of Figure 5 is the most difficult to manufacture of all those illustrated, but it has significant advantages. In this case, the left and right edges are both folded edges. The upper band 12 '"is slit along the entire length of the roll a short distance from the left edge The film is inserted into the pockets 24"' through the slot 36 '' '. The 32 '' 'ring binder holes are punched or cut along the left edge, and the width of the packaging material is typically 215 mm (8.5 inches). This embodiment can be used in a ring binder filing with the ring binder in a standard book orientation. It can also be used for hanging file archiving after first inserting a backrest member 34 '' 'into the channel which is aligned with the punched holes 32' ''.

 All of the embodiments described above initially have interconnected sheets at the perforation lines to form the respective rolls. A film loading machine can be used to facilitate the loading of the film into the pockets for each of these embodiments. The general principle is the same in each case. The roll of packaging material is loaded into the film loading machine, and the free end of the packaging material is threaded into the drive mechanism of the machine. The machine is equipped with an optical sensor that precisely stops the packaging material in order to align the successive pouches with a film feed track whenever a detection mark is detected.

With the sleeve properly aligned, the film is then advanced in the sleeve. The film is then cut between views so that the maximum number of views is stored in each pocket. By alternately advancing the packaging material and loading the film into a pouch, a complete film roll can be quickly inserted into a sheet of packaging material. If space greater than one sheet is required, the remainder of the film may be placed in the next sheet of packaging material.

Figure 20 provides a perspective view of a suitable film loading machine. This film loading machine can be made in a manner similar or identical to conventional machines well known to those skilled in the art. Suitable state-of-the-art machines are manufactured by Omaga, model S410, by Noritsu, model
ENV-MS, and by Crown, model 4508.

 Once the sheets are passed through the film loading machine, the sheets can easily be separated by tearing them at the perforation lines. Identification information may be written on the sheets of packaging material using a marker which is intended to write on a plastic material. As discussed above, if the header is printed with a writable background ink, a conventional ballpoint pen may be used.

 It is sometimes convenient to make a contact print of the film negatives that are stored in a particular sheet of packaging material. Such contact printing can be done directly through the sheet. If the identification information is written directly on the plastic surface, this information is also printed on the contact print.

 Figures 6, 16 and 18 are schematic views of three continuous web converting methods suitable for use in the manufacture of the embodiments described above. The process of Figure 6 begins with a single continuous web sheet 40 which is folded to form the two strips 12, 13 (Figure 2), and 12 ', 13' (Figure 3).

The process of Figure 16 begins with two separate strips which are joined together to form the strips 12 '', 13 '' (Figure 4) .The process of Figure 18 begins with a single tubular continuous sheet which is slotted to form the packaging material of Figure 5.

 Turning now to FIG. 6, this drawing illustrates a continuous machine or process suitable for the manufacture of the packaging material shown above in FIGS. 1-3. This process begins with a large roll of sheet continuous strip of a single thickness 40 on the left side of Figure 6. This large sheet is first folded into a folding station 42 before reaching a heat sealing station 44. An appropriate folding station 42 is represented for example in FIG. 7.

The continuous strip 40 is folded onto a fold shape 43 to create a fold line at a side edge and to provide two free edges of the continuous strip 40 at the other side edge.

 The folded strip then passes to a heat sealing station 44 which welds the two layers of plastic sheet together along cords that define pockets for the photographic film.

 Figure 8 shows a typical heat sealing station 44. The station 44 comprises a heat-sealing drum 46 and an opposite support drum 48. The heat sealing drum 46 is made of steel with a plurality of ribs which extend from the outer surface of the drum and are positioned in locations corresponding to the desired locations of the heat sealed beads and heat sealed spots on a sheet of packaging material. The drum 46 is heated by one or more cartridge heaters 50 embedded in the heat-sealing drum 46.

The support drum 48 is typically a metal cylinder coated with a silicone rubber capable of withstanding high temperatures.

 Returning to FIG. 6, the heat-sealed strip then passes to one or more printing stations 52 which are used to print detection marks on the packaging material which correspond to the location of the individual pockets and so print labels in the headers used for identification purposes of each sheet. In addition, any other desired information may be printed. In general, the number of printing stations 52 is dictated by the number of different colors to be printed.

 Printing on the packaging material can be made by understanding the process by etching and the well-known flexographic process. As shown in Fig. 10, a typical etching process comprises three basic parts: an etched gravure image drum 54, a doctor blade 56 and a rubber print drum 58. A typical flexographic process is shown on Figure 11 and comprises four basic parts: an ink roll 60, an ink metering roll or anilox 62, a printing plate drum 64 and a print drum 66.

The engraving and flexographic processes are both widely used in the printing field. Plastic bags and pressure-sensitive labels are usually printed with one of these two processes. Commercially available printing presses using these methods are commonly available, for example from any of the following suppliers
Windmoeller and Hoelscher, Inta-Roto, Bielloni Castello
Mark Andy, Webtron, and Allied Gears.

 Referring back to FIG. 6, the continuous web then passes through a cutting or punching station 68 that creates holes along an edge of each defined sheet of packaging material with a spacing that corresponds to the width of the web. standard spacing used in ordinary ring binders. In the illustrated embodiments, the holes are formed by removing the lost material from the strips. Alternatively, the holes may be in the form of simple linear slits without removal of the lost material, and the term holes is intended to cover both approaches.

 There are several methods that can be used to form holes in the web as it passes through the cutting or punching station. The first method may be called rotary punching, and it applies tooling that includes a punching drum 69 and a corresponding die matrix 67 (FIG. 12). These two drums are rotated in synchronism, and the web material is pulled between the two drums as it rotates. The punches precisely enter the die when they meet it, and the material thus has punched holes as it passes between the drums. This hole creation process works well for paper, and is amenable to very high speed manufacturing.

 The rotary punching technique, however, is not always effective when used with thin, flexible plastic sheets.

This is because it is difficult to maintain the very small space required between the punch and the die in order to obtain a clean shear of the material. Of course, these space problems are even worse when the punch and die begin to wear out. High precision dies and punches of the type described above are provided by Tools and
Productions, Inc. in the United States and by Schober Gmbh in
Germany.

 A process that works best for making holes in thin, flexible plastic sheets is known as a touch cut. As shown in Fig. 13, this process utilizes a first drum 70 which contains knives 72 which are hollow and resemble conventional cutters. The ends of the knives 72 are pointed and are in the form of an elongate or circular loop. The cutting drum 70 scrolls against a perfectly smooth drum which is known as the anvil drum 74, and the material is drawn between these two drums. The ends of the knife 72 run in perfect contact with the surface of the anvil drum 74 but do not bear against it. In this manner, the knives are said to touch the surface of the anvil drum 74 when they encounter it.

 As shown in Fig. 14, the cutting drum 70 may be formed with an inner recess in connection with the knife 72. With this arrangement, the knife 72 may be formed to cut the workpiece in a closed loop. The holes made with this process separate the lost material from the strips, and the lost material can suitably be removed through the central hole of the drum 70. A suitable vacuum system such as a vacuum pump can be connected to the drum by the drum. intermediate of the drum shaft to suck the lost material cut away from the moving web. In this case, the inner walls of the knife 72 are tapered so that the lost material can easily fall into the central hole of the drum.

 Figure 15 shows an alternative embodiment in which the knife 72 'is provided with notches 74'. These notches prevent the knife 72 'from completely separating the lost material from the moving web, and the remaining material forms bridges which retain the lost material in place on the web.

The user can remove the lost material when the packaging material is classified in ring binders. In this case, the center of the cutting drum 70 'does not need to be recessed.

 Returning to FIG. 6, once the web leaves the cutting or punching station 68, it then passes through a punch station 76. The punch station 76 forms lines of transverse perforations that define the line. separation between individual sheets of web material and allow easy separation of the sheets by manual tearing.

 Figure 9 illustrates a typical puncture station 76. The perforation station 76 includes a perforation drum 78 and a support anvil drum 80. The perforation drum 78 is made of steel with perforation blades embedded in its body and protruding from the outer surface of the drum. If the circumference of the drum is the same as the length of the defined sheet of packing material, only one perforation blade is required. The support anvil drum is made of steel with its hardened surface. This perforation process is another application of the touch-cut method described above.

 Once the tape has been punched, it is wound on a disposable cardboard core in the form of finished packaging material at a winding station 82 (FIG. 6).

 Turning now to Figure 16, this figure shows an alternative method of forming a packaging material of this invention.

In this embodiment, the heat sealing station 44, the printing station 52, the cutting or punching station 68, the perforating station 78 and the winding station 82 may be as described above. This embodiment is designed to manufacture a packaging material as shown in Figure 4 using two separate single-sheet sheet feed rolls. These two separate strips or sheets are then connected together in a connection station 84 before the heat sealing station 44.

 Fig. 17 shows a schematic drawing of the connecting station 84, which aligns the two strips 12 ", 13" in adjacent face-to-face relation.

 Fig. 18 shows a third embodiment of the method of this invention for forming a packaging material, in this case the packaging material of Fig. 5. The starting material in this embodiment is a tube of material flattened plastic which is initially wound on a feed roller. Once the flattened tube is unwound at the unwinding station 86, it passes through heat-sealing, printing, punching or cutting stations, and perforation similar to those described above. The tube is then split to create an opening for inserting the film into the pockets.

 An appropriate cutting station 88 is shown in FIG. 19 with blades 90, 92 cutting the flattened tube. The blade 90 is positioned to cut the two upper and lower layers of the tube and this blade is not used for the manufacture of the sheet 18 "'of Figure 5. The blade 92 bears against a separator plate 91 which is positioned between the upper and lower layers of the tube such that this blade only cuts the upper layer, for example to form the slot 36 '' 'of Figure 5. The touch-cutting method can also be used to split the strip in the cutting station 88.

 In actuality, all embodiments of packaging material set forth above may be made from a sheet material of any shape, ie rolled flattened tubes or sheets. of a single thickness. Sheets of a single thickness can be delivered as one or more feed rolls. The proper arrangement of the different stations in a continuous web converting process depends on the shape of the feed material and the embodiment to be manufactured. If the starting material is in the form of a flattened tube, at least one cutting station is typically required to open the tube along or near an edge. If the starting material is in the form of a sheet of a single thickness, and only one feed roll is used, at least one folding operation is necessary to produce the two layers of material which are closed along one edge and open on the opposite edge. The actual number of cutting stations and the actual number of folding stations depends exactly on the embodiment of the packaging material being manufactured.

 It is obvious that the embodiments described above overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art set out at the beginning of this description. In particular, the packaging material is formed during a continuous, high speed, efficient conversion operation and secondary operations to provide openings for ring binders are completely eliminated. The resulting roll-type packaging material can easily be used in roller type film loading machines that operate efficiently and reliably to facilitate loading of film into the pockets of the packaging material.

 Of course, it is obvious that many changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments described above.

The design and dimensions of the packaging material may be suitably modified for the particular film being archived. The process steps may be performed in any suitable order, and the order set forth above is not critical. Other types of suitable tape conversion stations may be used where desired. For example, cords may be formed by other techniques than those described above, for example by gluing, ultrasonic welding and the like. Similarly, the detection marks do not need to be printed characteristics but may have other mechanical, optical, electrical or magnetic characteristics. In addition, other punching methods such as the alternative flat table punching system can be used. It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be considered as an illustration and not a limitation of this invention.

Claims (16)

1. Packaging material for film archiving, characterized in that it comprises  first and second continuous, translucent, flexible strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 ''; 12 '' ', 13' '') secured together to form a plurality of film receiving pouches (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' ''), said strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 ''; 12 '' 13 '' ') defining a longitudinal direction ( L) and having first and second side edges oriented along the longitudinal direction (L), the pockets (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' '') being oriented transversely to the longitudinal direction (L), each pocket (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' '') having an opening (26) adjacent to one of the side edges;  said strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 "; 12" ', 13' '') are perforated at tear lines (16) spaced equally along the strips (12); , 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 "; 12 '' ', 13"' '), adjacent tear lines (16) being separated by a plurality of pockets (24; 24'; 24 "; 24 '); '') so that the tear lines (16) organize the sheets (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24 "') into sheets;  said strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 ''; 12 '' ', 13' '') have arch retention means (32; 31 ', 32'; 31 '; ', 32' '; 31' '', 32 '' ') formed integrally in the strips (12, 13; 12', 13 '; 12' ', 13' '; 12' '', 13 '' ') so that each of the sheets has a respective set of archive retention means (32; 31', 32 '; 31 ", 32"; 31' '', 32 '' ');  said strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 "; 12" ', 13' '') have a plurality of identification areas (28; 28 '), each disposed on a respective sheet and provided each to receive identification information;  said strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 ", 13"; 12 '' ', 13 "') further comprising a plurality of detection markers (30), each aligned with a pocket (24; 24 '; 24 ''; 24 '' ') respectively to indicate to a film loading device the location of the respective pocket (24; 24'; 24 ''; 24 '' '). 2. Packaging material according to claim 1, characterized in that the archival holding means (32; 32 '; 32' '; 32' '') each have a hole in at least one of the strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 ''; 12 '' ', 13' ''), said holes being positioned to receive rings from a ring binder. 3. Packaging material according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification areas (28; 28 ') each comprise a printed area, said printed areas being printed with an ink which receives handwritten marks. Packaging material according to claim 1, characterized in that the pouches (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' '') are arranged in groups on the strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 '', 12 '' ', 13' ''), each set being associated with a respective sheet, adjacent pouches (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' '') in two consecutive sets being separated by a first distance, pockets (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' '') adjacent in a set being separated by a value less than the first distance. Packing material according to claim 1, characterized in that the strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 "; 12 '' ', 13' '') are wound in a configuration in a spiral so that the longitudinal direction (L) forms a spiral of smaller radius adjacent one end of the strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 ''; 12 '; '', 13 '' ') to a larger radius adjacent to the other end of the strips (12, 13; 12', 13 '; 12' ', 13' '; 12' '', 13 "' ). 6. Packaging material according to claim 1, characterized in that the archival retaining means (31 '; 31' '; 31' '') each comprise a channel formed between the strips (12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 '', 12 '' ', 13' '') and extending between the two opposite sides of the respective sheet, said channel being shaped to receive a suspended backrest suspension member (34 ' 34 "34 '' ').  7. A method of manufacturing a packaging material for film archiving, characterized in that it comprises the steps of:  a) providing first and second web portions (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 ", 13 '; 12', 13" ') which extend continuously in a longitudinal direction (L);  b) attaching selected portions of the strip portions (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 ", 13"; 12 '' ', 13 "') to form film receiving pouches (24; 24 '); 24 ", 24 '' '), said pockets (24; 24'; 24"; 24 '' ') extending transversely to the longitudinal direction (L), and each pocket (24; 24'; 24 ''); 24 "') defining an opening (26) positioned adjacent a side edge of the web portions (12, 13; 12', 13 '; 12", 13 "; 12' '', 13" ');  c) perforating the web portions (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 "; 12" ', 13 "') to form tear lines (16) at equally spaced intervals; along the longitudinal direction (L), adjacent tear lines (16) being separated by a plurality of pockets (24; 24 '; 24 "; 24' '') so that the tear lines (16) divide the strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 "; 12 '' ', 13' '') in sheets;  d) forming at least one arch retention means (32; 31 ', 32'; 31 ", 32", 31 '' ', 32 "' ') in each sheet of the web portions (12, 13; 12 ', 13', 12 ", 13", 12 ", 13" ");  e) print each sheet with a label indicating an area of identification intended to receive handwritten marks;  f) forming a plurality of detection markers (30) on the strips (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 ''; 12 '' ', 13' ''), each detection mark (30). being aligned with a respective pocket (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' '') to indicate to a film loading device the location of the pocket (24; 24 '; 24' '; 24' '') respectively; and  g) winding the web portions (12, 13; 12 ', 13'; 12 '', 13 ''; 12 "', 13' '') about an axis after steps a) to f) in order to form a roll of leaves. The method of claim 7, characterized in that the strip portions of step (a) are adjacent portions of a single elongate folded sheet. 9. The method of claim 8, characterized in that the folded sheet is tubular. 10. The method of claim 7, characterized in that the band portions of step (a) comprise two separate elongated strips. The method of claim 7, characterized in that step (d) comprises the step of forming a plurality of holes in each sheet, said holes being positioned to receive rings from a ring binder. The method of claim 7, characterized in that step (d) comprises the step of forming a channel on each sheet between the strips, each channel extending between two opposite sides of the respective sheet and being shaped to receive a suspended file suspension element. 13. The method of claim 11, characterized in that step (d) comprises the following steps  dl) passing the sheets between first and second drums (69, 67; 70, 74; 70 ', 74'), said first drum (69; 70; 70 ') having a plurality of knives (72; 72'); and said second drum (67; 74; 74 ') having a smooth annular anvil surface, said drums (69,77; 70,74; 70', 74 ') being positioned such that the knives (72; 72 ') come into contact with the anvil surface when the drums (69, 67, 70, 74, 70', 74 ') are rotated; and  d2) rotating the drums (69, 67, 70, 74, 70 ', 74') to cause the knives to cut the holes between the knives and the anvil surface. 14. The method of claim 13, characterized in that step (d) further comprises  d3) removing the lost material from at least one of the strips from the first drum. 15. The method of claim 13, characterized in that the knives are shaped to create holes that do not form a closed loop so that a portion of the bands in the holes remains connected to the strips outside the holes after step (d2). 16. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the fixing step (b) provides the sets per sets on the strips, each set being associated with a respective sheet, adjacent pockets in two consecutive sets being separated by a first one. distance, adjacent pockets in a set being separated by a value less than the first distance.