AU642908B2 - Packaging machine and method - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act v COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

642908 Int. Class Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: 4 -4 1.

.4 Applicant(s): Automated Packaging Systems, Inc.

8400 Darrow Road, Twinsburg, Ohio, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Address for Service is: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Complete Specification for the invention entitled: PACKAGING MACHINE METHOD Our Ref 191356 POF Code: 1671/67448 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s)t -1- 6 6006 11-560 PACKAGING MACHINE METHOD This invention relates to packaging machinery and more particularly to machine and method which are especially well suited for loading relatively bulky and liquid products sequentially and one at a time into bags of a side interconnected chain of bags.

The use of preopened bags, typically sold in roll form, for packaging products is now well known. Such bags are disclosed and claimed in now expired U.S.

Patent No. 3,254,828 entitled Flexible Container Strip issued June 7, 1966 to Hershey Lerner. The product.

S disclosed in that patent has been sold commercially by Automated Packaging System, Inc. of Twinsburg, Ohio under the trademark Autobag for many years.

With a properly made Autobag product, the face of each bag is open from side bead seal to side bead seal while the back of the bag is connected seal to seal to the next succeeding bag in the chain. The connection is S• 20 by a line of weakness in the form of perforations which permits facile separation of a loaded bag.

Where a bulky product is inserted in such a bag the face of the bag tends to distort and sag while the back of the bag being connected seal to seal does not. In order to produce an attractive and quality finished product, a number of steps have been taken to bring the face of the bag into registration in the back. Steps Swhich have been used commercially include a bag deflator mechanism as disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,861,113 issued 30 January 21, 1975 to H. Hampton Loughry entitled o Packaging Apparatus and Method and a bag support as disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,956,866 issued May 18, 1976 to Vincent Lattur.

While the Autobag product has enjoyed great commercial success, there are applications where the product is not fully satisfactory. For example where it is desirable to provide a recloseable bag Autobag products are not readily producible because the' reclosure is typically transverse of the bag. Since Autobag products travel in a longitudinal direction during manufacture transverse reopenable capabilities are difficult to provide.

An example of an application where a recloseable feature is desired is the packaging of panty hose which typically must be "stuffed" into a baj. Another reason Autobag products are not fully atisfactory for panty hose is if one stuffs a bulky produ t into a bag of the Autobag type using, for example, a achine which is sold commercially under the designation -100 such as the machine shown in U.S. Patent 3,965, 53 issued June 29, 15 1976 to Bernard Lerner, the force o at.iffing the product into the bag tends to separate the back of the bag from the succeeding bag along the line of weakness.

'go* Further, the opening through which the product has been stuffed is forced into a generally circular configuration which makes appropriate closing and sealing quite difficult.

The use of preformed bags interconnected in side by side relation have been proposed for loading relatively bulky products. According to this proposal each bag of the chain has a side to side through opening at its top for guiding the chain of bags along a mandrel to a conveyor dection. A knife is positioned intermediate the conveyor section and the mandrel for opening the bags. Bags once opened are conveyed to a load station 30 where sequentially and one at a time they are brought to Srest in the load station. The open top is spread and a product is inserted. Once the product has been inserted the machine cycles bring the next bag of the chain to the load station 2d the loaded bag is transported to a seal station.

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4 0 0000 00*0 0@ 90 6 The prior proposal had several drawbacks which included the intermittent motion required sealing and loading to occur concurrently. Accordingly the machine could cycle no faster than the time required to load a package or the time required to affect a seal, which ever was the slower. The mechanism for transporting the bags also served to be the mechanism which resisted applied bag loading forces and accordingly was a limiting factor on the amount of force that could be applied in loading a bag rather than the strength of the bag Io limiting the force.

The proposed machine had a load station with a single size opening which limited the machine's use to bags of but a single size. Further no adequate 15 provision was made for separating bags from the web reliably and consistently both in the form of partial separation prior to bag loading and complete separation after a bag was loaded.

The chine made in accordance with the present invention i cludes a supply of preformed and side interconnecte bags. The bags are fed from the supply into a cyclical section which is preferably an intermittent section of e machine where the bags are opened 25 and sequentially a one at a time loaded. Thereafter a loaded bag is separa ed from the chain and passed through a continuous s ction where it is aealed.

The intermittent se tion includes two pairs of intermittent belt conveyo The first pair of 30 conveyors grasps the chain o bags as it exits a bag slitting station. The bag gr ping is at a location below the top of the bags such at upstanding face and back lips of each bag project abo the conveyor.

As a bag is conveyed along its ath of travel a nair of lows fold these lids resDect velv over the *0 **00 Orig •J O xt~ A I Summary of the Disolosure According to the present invention there is provided a machine for manipulating a plastic web comprising: a) a first pair of belt conveyors delineating a path of web travel therebetween; including b) a plow positioned along the path for folding two lips formed by a slit in the web, each lip being folded over an adjacent and respective one of the conveyor belts; c) a second pair of conveyor belts positioned on opposite sides of the path and downstream from the plow; d) one of the second belts having a first reach closely juxtaposed to a second reach of one of the first belts for gripping folded first ones of the lips therebetween; e) the other of the second belts having a third reach closely juxtaposed to a fourth reach of the other of the first belts for gripping folded second ones of the too lips therebetween.

20 Further, the present invention provides a method of manipulating a slitted plastic web comprising: a) cyclic-lly feeding the web along i path of travel; including S. b) maintaining the web with the slits in an 25 upwardly oriented position; c) with a first pair of belt conveyors, grasping portions of the web near the slit portion while leaving face and back lips projecting upwardly from the belts; d) utilizing a plow to fold the lips outwardly in opposite directions from the path of travel respectively over the belts of the first pair; e) capturing the folded lips between the belts of the first paiz of conveyors and belts of a second pair of belt conveyors, and f) performing a work operation on the web while the lips are so captured.

Still further, the present invention provides a method of packaging utilizing a chain of bags side to side /s B interconnected by sets of frangible interconnections SI- 3a Scomprising: a) travel? cyclically feeding the chain along a path of b) slitting the bags along an upwardly oriented end; c) with a first pair of belt conveyors grasping portions of the bags near their slit ends while leaving S face and back lips projecting upwardly from the belts; d) rupturing a set of interconnections near a downwardly oriented end of a selected one of the bags from a succeeding bag; e) positioning the selected one of the bags at a load station; f) spreading the top of the selected bag and contracting sections of the belts to open the bag; g) inserting a product in the selected bag; h) closing the selected bag and feeding it from the load station into a continuation of the path between belts of a continuously operating pair of belt conveyors; 20 i) securing the bag lips together; j) utilising a plow to fold the lips outwardly in opposite directions from the path of travel :espectively over the bslts of the first pair; and, k) capturing the folded lips between the belts of the first pair of convey rs and belts of a second pair of belt conveyors.

A machine made in accordance with the present invention preferably includes a supply of preformed and side interconnected bags. The bags are fed from the 30 supply into a cyclical section which is preferably an intermittent section of the machine where the bags are opened and sequentially and one at a time loaded. Thereafter a loaded bag is separated from the chain and passed through a continuous section where it is sealed.

The intermittent section includes two pairs of intermittent belt conveyors. The first pair of conveyors grasps the chain of bags as it exits a bag slitting station. The bag grasping is preferably at a location below the top of the bags such that upstanding face and 4 f back lips of each bag project above the conveyor.

As a bag is conveyed along its path of travel a paii.' of plows fold these lips respectively over the belts of the first pair of conveyors. The belts of the second pair of conveyors preferably engage the folded over lips to lock thn lips between the two conveyors and provide greatly enhanced, as compared with the prior art, bag retention gripping. This gripping not only facilitates the packaging 6f heavy and bulky products but also allows great latitude in the selection of bag materials. This greater selection is available because the parameters for such physical properties as stiffness and slipperiness are much wider than with prior bagging systems.

The opened bags are preferably fed with their lips between the belt conveyors to a load station sequentially and one at a time. Two pairs of articulated fingers are .preferably provided with one pair upstream and one downstream from the center of the load station. These fingers spread the belts of the conveyor and the supported bag 20 into a ix sided configuration to permit bag loading. At this j'nctur the intermittent travel has stopped so that the bag can be spread and loaded.

Once the bag is loaded the fingers allow bag closing 0 5 and the first of the pair of intermittent conveyors 25 transports the bag to a conveyor of the continuous section.

Operation of the conveyor of the continuous section preferably separates the loaded bag from the chain when the intermittent travel is nelxt stopped. As this happens the lips are pulled over the belts of the first intermittent conveyor which function to bring the lips back to upright positions. The continuous belt conveyor transports the loaded bag through the continuous section including passing through a sealing station in the continuous section and thence to a discharge.

At the input end of the belt conveyor of the continuous section there are preferably a pair of moveable pulleys.

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Each pulley is mounted on an associated pulley moving mechanis~ that is controlled by a controller that also controls the intermittent section. When the intermittent section stops and a bag has been positioned at the load station the moveable pulleys are moved away from the path of travel. This movement releases the bag to be loaded from the continuous section and allows a 0retraction action to move the leading edge of the bag to be loaded as it is spread.

After a bag has been loaded and as it is closed the reFercyal/ moveable pulleys are brought in to grasp the now loaded bag ah move it into the continuous section for sealing and discharge. As the intermittent section completes its indexing and the next bag to be loaded is moved into 15 the load station and stops, the continued motion of the continuous section separates the loaded bag from the Schain. Concurrently with stopping of the intermittent section the moveable pulleys are moved outwardly to release the grip on the next to be loaded and allow it to be retracted.

SAnother feature of the machine of this invention is my baZ, that a pair of seal platens par provided. The seal platens are moveable toward and away from the path of bag travel. On start up of the intermittent section following the loading of a bag, the start up signal also signals the platens to move to their closed and bag sealing position. The platens are retained in the bag sealing position for a predetermined timed interval and then in response to a timer signal moved out away from 30 the path of travel. They remain out until the intermittent section controller again signals a loaded bag is about to be transported into the continuous section whereupon the platens are moved into their seal position.

Heat resistent belts may be provided to engage a bag as it is transported through the sealer. One advantage of moving the seal platens away from the paths of travel other than when a sealing operation is to be performed is a significant increase in the life of these heat resistent belts.

An important feature of the machine of this invention is that it permits the use of a wide range of bag types. For example gusseted, reinforced header and multi layer bags may all be used with great facility.

Another feature of the invention is that one pair of the bag distension fingers may be fixed relative the bag path of travel while the other pair is adjustable relative to the path and the first pair. This allows the machine to be set up for any of a substantial range of bag widths for spreading and loading such bags.

Another rreferable feature of the machine of this invention is provision of a knife holder which is both reciprocally and pivotally mounted. The knife holder may 20 have a finger which engages a coacting member to hold the knife in bag cutting position. When it is desired to sharpen or replace the knife holder is disengaged from the element, slid upstream relative to the path of travel and then pivoted downwardly to give access to the knife in its 25 connection to the knife holder.

Another preferable feature is a mechanism is provided to rupture lower bag interconnections. More specifidally an articulated arm may be provided which, when e. aligned with the interconnection of adjacent bags with the

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alignment in a plane transverse of the path of bag travel, is swung downwardly and briskly in that plane to rupture the interconnection.

The preferred chain of bags used with machine and method of this invention, provides yet another feature of the invention. The bags are interconnected in side :O 4bi 6by side relationship by upper and lower sets of frangible interconnections. The preferred bag is a header bag preformed with a header and a pressure sensitively closed flap at the top of the fillable space below the header.

Near the bottom of the bag side to side tunnels are provided for feeding the bags in an inverted condition.

The bags are slit open to provide front and back flaps.

These flaps are folded away from one another over belts and trapped between the belts over which they are folded and a further or outer set of belts for feeding to and maintenance in a load station.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved packaging machine and a 15 method of packaging products.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a somewhat schematic elevational view of the packaging machine of this invention; Figure 2 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale with respect to Figure 1 of an intermittent section of the machine; Figure 3 is a top plan view of a continuous section of the machine; Figure 4 is a sectional view of the intermittent section as seen from the planes indicated by the line 4- 4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a sectional view of the machine as seen from the planes indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a sectional view of the intermittent 30 section of the machine as seen from the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 2; Figures 7a-7d are somewhat schematic perspective views showing a chain of bags in the sequential packaging steps performed by the method of this invention;

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0 0 95~0 Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a top set of interconnections between two adjacent bags; and Fiqu37e 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a lower set of interconnections between sequential bags.

Dtaled escipim Referring to the drawings and to Figure 1 in particv~'lar a bag supply is shown generally at 10. The machine has intermittent and continuous sections 12, 14 supported on a frame 15. The fra Ie 15 also supports the bag supply A Caain of interconnected bags 16 is fed from the supply 10. The bags are interconnected in side by side relationship by upper and lower frangible interconnec- 15 tions 18, 19. The chain of bags 16 is fed from the supply 10 upwardly over a 45 degree guide 21 thence horizontally to and around a vertical guide 22.

The chain of bags is fed horizontally from the vertical guide 22 into and through the intermittent section 12. The intermittent section 12 includes a loading station shown generally at 24 where products are inserted into the bags sequentially one bag at a time.

Loaded bags are transported from the intermittent section 12 into the continuous section 14. The continuous section 14 includes a sealer station shown generally at 25 where loaded bags are sealed. Thereafter the loaded and sealed bags are discharged from the machine.

The Intermittent Section 12 30 The intermittent section includes an inner pair of belt conveyors including first and second intermittent, conveyor belts 27$ 28. The belts 27, 28 are reeved around sets of pulleys including a pair of entrance end pulleys 29. The inner conveyor belts 27t 28 include bag path of travel defining reaches 30, 31 extending from

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the entrance pulleys 29 to an exit from loading station 24.

An Outer pair of conveyors are provided including first and second belts 33, 34. The outer conveyor belts 33, 34 have reaches 35, 36 which are juxtaposed against the inner conveyor reaches 30, 31 from outer conveyor entrance pulleys 38 to the exit from the load station 24.

Referring to Figure 6, each bag fed from the vertical guide 22 hes a through opening at the top extending from one side to the other. A mandrel 40 is fed through those openings as the bags are gtided to the path of travel delineated by the reaches 30, 31.

A knife 41 is positioned closely adjacent to, but q**O 15 upstream of, the reach defined portion of the bag path "'ee of travel. The knife is carried by a knife holder 42.

The knife 41 slits the bags along their tops to provide 44 bag face and the back upstanding lips which project above the conveyor reaches 30, 31. These lips are folded away from one another over the reaches 30, 31 respectively by the action of a plow 43 positioned between the knife 41 and the outer conveyor entrance pulleys 38.

As bags are fed from the plow along the reach defined portion of the bag path of travel, the outer reaches 35, 36 engage the folded over lips to trap the lips respectively between inner and outer reaches 30, on the one hand and inner and outer reaches 31, 36 on the other.

**n 30 The knife holder 42 is moveable from the solid line position of Figure 6 to the phantom position to facilitate sharpening or replacement of the knife 41.

To accomplish blade sharpening or replacement the holder is rotated slightly in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 6 to disengage a holder notch 44 from an upstanding lip on the frame. The knife holder includes an elongated slot 45 which receives a supporting pin.

Once the notch is disengaged the slot allows the hdilder to be shifted to the right as seen in Figure 6 and then pivoted to its phantom line position.

Upstream and downstream pairs of fingers 46, 47 are provided at the load station. The fingers are interposed between the reaches 30, 31 of the inner conveyor for selectively distending the reaches and a bag carried' by them when positioned at the load station. The fingers distend a bag and the reaches from the position shown in phantom at 48 to the solid line position of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 6, a link 50 couples tthe finger S 15 47 to a rotatable but otherwise fixed shaft 51.

Rotation of the shaft 51 will cause the arm 0S to opvp the finger 47 and distend the reach 30, when rotation is *e counter clockwise, as viewed in Figure 2, to th so liS line position of Figure 2. A mirror image link4qP ndt shown in elevation, carries the other downstreadl fihge 47 for movement in an equal and opposite directlon.

A drive link 53 is coupled to an air cylinder 540 Figure 2. Actuation of the air cylinder causes the fingers 47 to be concurrently and oppositely moved from S 25 opened to closed positions and return. The concurrent opposite movement is controlled through a pair of interconnected gears one of which is shown at 55 in Figure 6.

As is best seen in Figure 6, the upstream fingexd 46 30 is connected by a link 57 to a shaft 58. The shaft $8 is journal in a movable frame element 60. The frame element 60 is movable longitudinally of the bag path of travel to adjust the spacing of the upstream and downstream fingers 46, 47 according to the size of bag to ba loaded.

The frame 60 carries an indicia detector 61 which is preferably of the type disclosed and claimed in the United States Patent 4,392,056 entitled Control Marking Detector issued to Ronald Weyandt. The bags are equipped with invisible indicia such as those described in U.S. Patent 4,680,205 entitled Continuous Web Registration issued to Hershey LC;ner et al to which the detector 61 is able to respond. Signals from the detector 61 control the cycling of the intermittent section 12.

The movable frame section 60 carries an air cylinder 63 Figure 2. The cylinder 63 is connected through a linkage shown in dotted lines at 64 in Figure 2 to a shaft 65 which is the mirror image of the shaft 15 58 of Figure 6. The shafts 58, 65 are connected by gears 66 to cause equal and opposite action so that the interconnected upstream fingers 46 are concurrently moved from bag closed to bag opened positions and return.

.6 S S S r 5* 6 *6S* o *5 0405 ir 30 66 As the fingers 46, 47 are actuated to open a bag and to spread the belt reaches, the effect is to foreshorten the four belts of the inner and outer conveyors. To accommodate this foreshortening of the inner conveyor a pair of cylinders 68 are provided which carry movable pulleys 69. The movable pulleys 69 move between their solid and phantom line positions in synchronism with movement of the fingers 46, 47 to allow the reaches to be spread while at the same time maintaining the belts 27, 28 appropriately tensioned.

Similarly, cylinders 71 are coupled to movable puleys 72 to accommodate foreshortening and stretching of the outerbelts 33, 34. The cylinders 68, 71 are spring extended air clinders so that contact of the pulleys 69, 72 is through air pressure control when the machine is operated while belt tension is maintained by the springs when the machine is down.

The pulleys 69 are mounted on pivotal links 74. As a consequence movement of the pulleys 69 between the solid and phantom positions is an arcuate movement. To accommodate this arcuate movement the cylinders 68 are pivotally mounted at 75. Similarly, the innerbelt pulleys 72 are mounted on links 77 and the cylinders 71 are pivotally mounted at 78.

A drive motor 80 is provided. The drive motor is coupled to the intermittent section through belts 81, 82. A clutch is interposed at 83 between the belts 81, 82 to provide intermittent drive of the intermittent section. Belts 85, 86 couple the drive motor 80 to the 15 continuous section 14.

Once a bag is positioned at the load station lower interconnections between the positioned bag and the next bag of the chain are ruptured. To accomplish this rupturing, an articulated arm 88 known as a "whacker" is provided, Figure 6. The arm 88 is mounted on a shaft 89 for movement frOm an upper position (now shown) to a rupture completed position as shown in Figure 6 and return each time it is cycled. The whacker is driven by a pneumatic rotary activator 87.

The Continuous Section 14 a ,i ae 0 6 *Ga* d' S. C me a a, a S An entrance pair of continuous belt conveyors are indicated generally at 90, Figure 1. These Oonveyors grasp a loaded bag 92 at a tie when the intermittent section is at rest. The grasping of the loaded bag 9S by the conveyors 90 results in rupturing of the upper frangible inter-conncdtion 16 separating the loaded bag for movement into the continuous section. As the loaded

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4b .0 4 0r 9 4OAS ti' bag 92 is moved through the continuous section 14 it is supported by a product support conveyor 93.

The loaded bag is transferred from the entrance continuous conveyors 90 to a pair of sealer continuous conveyors 95 and moved through the sealing station The sealing conveyors transport the loaded bag from the sealing station through a cooling station 96 to a discharge indicated by the bag shown in dotted lines at 98.

Belts of the entrance conveyors 90 include reaches 110, 111 which define a continuation of the bag path of travel. The reaches 110, 111 are seen in plan view to the left in Figure 2 in, sectional view in Figi're 4 and the reach 110 is seen in elevation in Figure 6. The 15 reaches 110, 111 are reeved over fixed location pulleys 114, 115. As is best seen in Figures 5 and 6, these fixed location pulleys and the belts of the entrance conveyor are located immediately below the belts of the intermittent conveyors.

-A-pa- of nip pulloyo arc prvi-p ed which L c Lt reaches 11 111. One of the nip pulleys is visible at 117 in Figure 5 and 6 while the other 118 is shown in phantom in Figu 2. (Note to Marston: This needs to be added to Figure The nip pulley 118 is shown in 25 Figurev 5 and 6 axia y aligned with the shaft 51. This is ti A nip position o ae pulley. The nip pulley 117 as stown in Figure 2 is i its retracted position. The nip pulleys are selectively ovable be-tween the nip and retracted positions in concurr t and opposite motions selectively to engage or release bag disposed in the loading station i4.

A pair of np pulley cylinders 1 121 are provided Figures 2 and 5. A pair of lin 122, 123 are respectively connected to and driven by the cylinders 191. Phe links 122. 123 are respectivel Journaled v "o' C'au bn A pair of nip pulleys are provided which engage the reaches 110, 111. One of the nip pulleys is visible at 117 in Figures 5 and 6 while the other not shown is the mirror image of it. The nip pulley 117 is shown in Figures 5 ard 6 axially aligned with the shaft 51. This is the nip position of the pulley. The nip pulleys are selectively movable between the nip and retracted positions in concurrent and opposite motions selectively to engage or release a bag disposed in the loading station 24.

A pair of nip pulley cylinders 120, 121 are provided Figures 2 and 5. A pair of links 122, 123 are respectively connected to and driven by the cylinders 120, 121.

The links 122, 123 are respectively journaled 9 oo: o, to s of e 4« 3 0 13a *C S *i a 4 5558 on fixed location pulley shafts 125 Figure 6 and 126 Figure 5. Mirror image movable idler pulleys 128, 129 are respectively carried by the links 122 and 123. The idler pulleys 128, 129 are shown in Figure 2 in both their nip and retracted positions indicated while the pulley 129 is shown in elevation in Figare The nip pulley cylinders 120, 121 are actuated in synchronism with movements of the intermittent section.

More specifically when the clutch 83 is energized to stop intermittent section movement, the cylinders 120, 121 are energized to move the nip pulleys 117, 118 to their retracted positions releasing the grip on the bag which is about to be loaded. Momentarily later the finger manipulating cylinders 54, 63 are energized to cause the fingers 46, 47 to spread a bag about to be loaded.

The sealing conveyors 95 are above and slightly overlapping the entrance conveyors 90 and operate in synchronism with them. Thus, as a loaded bag is transported from the entrance conveyors it is grasped by belts 131, 132 of the sealing conveyors, The belts are of a material such as Teflon® which is suitable for transmitting heat from a heater bar to a bag being sealed without becoming adhered to the bag.

25 A pair of heat .eal platens 134, 135 are provided.

Air cylinders 136, 13V are connected to the platens 134, 135 respectively. The cylinders move the platens into juxtaposed relationships with the belts 131, 132 when the bag is to be sealed and in timed relationship 30 move the platens 134, 135 outwardly to the position shown in phan-om in Figure 3 after a bag has been sealed.

The sealing conveyors 95 transport the bags through the cooling station 96 and thence to an exit conveyor shown generally at 140. Belts 141, 142 couple

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the sealing and discharge conveyors together and to a sealing section drive motor 143.

A trim knife in the form of a wheel 145 is provided. A scrap belt 146 is reeved around an anvil wheel 147 to trap trim scrap and cause it to exit in a downward direction as seen in Figure 3. The knife and scrap conveyor are driven by a motor 150 shown in Figure 1.

The Chain Of Bacs 16 Referring to Figure 7-9, the chain of bags comprises bags 160, 161, 162. The bags are connected together in side by side relation by the upper and 15 lower sets of interconnections 18, 19, Figures 8 and 9.

The bags as shown in Figures 7a-d are in an inverted position. The bags have a through tunnel 164 best seen in Figure 7a. This tunnel 164 is fed over the guide mandrel 40 as the bags are fed into the intermittent section 12. As the bags pass the knife and then the plow the bags are slit longitudinally at the top of the tunnel 164 to form front and back flaps 166, 167 which are then folded over by the plow 43 to the position shown in Figure 7b4 The preferred and disclosed bags each include a header 170 at the top of the bag delineated by upper and lower seals not shown. Each bag has a fillabI space provided immediately belc"' the header 170 but shown immedietely above in thee nverted views of Figures 7.

The fillable space is closed by a reusable flap 171 that is adhered to the back of the bag by a suitable pressure sensitive adhesive, not shown.

As the bag is advanced along its path of travel as depicted in Figure 7b, it reaches a position where the whacker 88 is brought abruptly and sharply downwardly to sever the lower set of interconnections 19. The bags are then fed to the load station 24 where they are spread in the manner which has been described. A product is inserted by moving it along the path indicated by arrow 172.

As the bag 162, depicted in Figure 7c in its now loaded condition, is moved into the continuous section by the operation of the entrance conveyor 90, the front and back flaps 166, 167 are drawn over divergent reaches 174, 175 of the interconveyor belts 28, 27, Figure 2.

Drawing tEhs flaps over the reaches 174, 175 cams them back upwardly to upstanding generally face to face conditions for passing through the continuous section of the conveyor.

15 In Figure 7d the bags 160, 162 are pictured in their completed condition. In the case of the bag 161 a scrap strip being severed by the scrap knife 145 is depicted at 177.

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Operation The supply of bags 10 is positioned to feed the bag chain 16 to the machine. The bags are fed over the degree guide 21 and around the vertical guide 16. The guide mandrel 40 is then fed into the transverse tunnel 25 164 of the lead one of the bags. The bags are then fed from left to right as seen in Figures 1 and 2, past t)Ie knife 41 to slit the bag tops and form the front and back flaps 166, 167.

The bags are picked up by the belts 27, 28 of the 30 outer conveyors and fed past the plow 43 to fold the front and back flaps respectively over the belts 27, 28.

The folded flaps are then captured between the belts 33 34 of the outer conveyors so that the folded flaps are respectively trapped between the reaches 30, 35 on the one hand and 31, 36 on the other for feeding to the load *0 *r 5 SicC C. S S S *5 station 24. The lower frangible connection set 19 between the lead one of the bags and the second bag in the chain is fractured by the whacker 88.

Once the machine has been set up in the manner described, which set up is accomplished by jogging the machine, the machine is turned OA and prepared to cycle automatically. The motor 80 opetates continuously operating the entrance conveyor 90 to the continuous section on a continuous basis. Similarly the motor 143 operates continuously to operate the continuous section 14 on a continuous basis.

The clutch 83 is energized to cause the intermittent section to feed until the indicia detector 61 1 recognizes an indicia on a succeeding bag. The detector 15 sends a signal to a control 152 seen in Figure 1. A control signal from the control 152 de-energizes the clutch 83 to stop the interi ttent section. Concurrently the nip pulley cylinders 120, 121 are energized to o. move the nip pulleys 117, 118 away from the bag path of "O 20 travel. Momentarily after that the finger cylinders 54, 63 are energized to respectively move the pairs of fingers 47, 46 away from one another to spread the bag at the load station into an open condition.

The product is then inserted. The insertion 25 mechanism transmits a signal to the control 152. The control 152 then simultaneously signals ehe cylinders 120, 121 to reverse their action and move the nip rolls into bag engaging position and energizes the clutch 83 to start intermittent hag operation. The finger 30 cylinders 54, 63 are then actuated to move the fingers to closed position. The entrance conveyor to the continuous section grasps the loaded bag and moves it toward the seal station. As the loaded bag is pulled from the loading station the inner conveyor belts 27, 28 cam the front and back bag lips 166, 167 back to upright positions.

When the next bag reaches the detector 61 and the clutch 83 is de-energized to stop the intermittent section, the now loaded bag is fully in the grasp of the entrance conveyor which continues the movement of the loaded bag while the to be loaded bags in the intermittent section are stopped. This action ruptures the upper set of frangible connections 18 between the loaded bag and the next bag.

The loaded bag is transported by the entrance conveyor 90 to the sealing conveycr 95. The platens 134, 135 have been moved by the platen cylinders 136, 137 to their closed position in response to the same 0* o 15 signal that restarted the intermittent section. The loaded bag is moved between the platens thence through the cooling station 96 to the discharge conveyor 140.

As the loaded and now sealed bag is moved by the S4 discharge conveyor the scrap knife 145 trims the top of 20 the bag, the scrap is removed by the scrap belt 146 and the loaded bag is thence transported to the discharge 98.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, 25 it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of 30 the invention as hereinafter claimed.

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Claims (24)

1. A machine for manipulating a plastic web comprising: a) a first pair of belt conveyors delineating a path of web travel therebetween; including b) a plow positioned along the path for folding two lips formed by a slit in the web, each lip being folded over an adjacent and respective one of the conveyor belts; c) a second pair of conveyor belts positioned on opposite sides of the path and downstream from the plow; d) one of the second belts having a first reach closely juxtaposed to a second reach of one of the first belts for gripping folded first ones of the lips there- between; e) the other of the second belts having a third reach closely juxtaposed to a fourth reach of the other of the first belts for gripping folded second ones of the lips therebetween. V0.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said second and fourth reaches extend downstream along the path of travel further than said first and third reaches. 25

3. A machine according to either of claims 1 or 2 :wherein said web is a chain of bags and an articulated bag connection rupture means is positioned along the path for rupturing interconnections between adjacent bags. *0 S*

4. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein arti ,ted bag opening means is positioned along the path of travel between the ends of the reaches used for spreading a bag to be loaded and the reaches used to open such bag.

A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein downstream of the first and second pair of belt conveyors the path of web travel continues between belts of a third pair of continuously operable belt conveyors S ,40 19 1 I for transporting bags towards a closure station for securing the bag lips together.

6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein there is a fourth pair of belt conveyors downstream of the third pair of conveyors for transporting bags through the closure station.

7. A machine according to claim 6 wherein a sealer defines the closure station and the sealer includes a pair of platens movable toward and away from one another from a sealing position where each platen is in juxtaposition to a reach of an associated conveyor to a spaced position and return.

8. A machine according to any one of claims 5 to 7 !wherein a controller is provided and each of the third .pair of belt conveyors includes a roller moveable between bag engagement and bag release positions and each of the 20 third pair of conveyors includes a roller positioning means connected to the moveable roller o5 the same conveyor for moving the roller between its positions in response to start and stop signals from the controller. S

9. A machine according to any of the preceding claims including a structure for slitting the web to form the two lips. S**S .0

10. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first and second belt conveyors form a bag supply cyclical motion section for bringing such bags to a load station and then momentarily arresting bag motion to enable a filling.

11. A machine according to any one of claims 5 to 9 wherein a conveyor means and the third pair of belt conveyors form a continuous motion section along the path of travel downstream from the load station for separating a loaded bag from the chain of bags and transporting such 20 separated bag in continuous motion through the closing station.

12. A packaging machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein there is a bag opening means at a load station including two spaced pairs of fingers and adjustment means for selectively positioning the pairs of fingers in predetermined spaced relationship determined according to the size of bag to be packed.

13. A machine according to any one of claims 9 to 12 wherein the structure for slitting the web is positioned along the path upstream from the plow.

14. A machine according to any one of claims 11 to 13 wherein the third conveyor pair includes an input end portion selectively moveable towar and away from a bag .path of travel for selectively gripping or releasing a bag projecting into the continuous motion section.

15. A method of manipulating a slitted plastic web comprising: a) cyclically feeding the web along a path of travel; including 25 b) aintaining the web with the slits in an upwardly oriented position; c) with a first pair of belt conveyors, grasping portions of the web near the slit portion while leaving face and back lips projecting upwardly from the belts; d) utilizing a plow to fold the lips outwardly in opposite directions from the path of travel respectively over the belts of the first pair; e) capturing the folded lips between the belts of the first pair of conveyors and belts of a second pair of belt conveyors, and f) performing a work operation on the web while the lips are so captured.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the web is a 21 chain of bags with each bag being connected to adjacent bags by sets of rupturable inter-connections including the steps of: a) cyclically feeding the chain along a path of travel; b) rupturing lower ones of the inter-connections between a selected bag and the successive bag; c) extending a top opening of the selected bag to open the selected bag to receive a product; d) inserting a product into the selected bag; and e) separating the selected bag and securing the top opening in a closed condition.

17. A method according to claim 15 or claim 16 including slitting the web wherein the tops of the bags are the portion which is slit and the slit opens the bags as they are fed along the path of travel.

18. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 17 4 20 wherein said selected bag is indexed to a load station after the rupturing step and prior to the loading step. St..

19. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein the securing step comprises feeding the loaded bag 25 between platens of a heat sealer.

A method of packaging utilizing a chain of bags side to side interconnected by sets of frangible interconnections comprising: 30 a) cyclically feeding the chain along a path of travel; b) slitting the bags along an upwardly oriented end; c) with a first pair of belt conveyors grasping portions of the bags near their slit ends while leaving face and back lips projecting upwardly from the belts; d) rupturing a set of interconnections near downwardly oriented end of a selected one of the bags from a succeeding bag; 22 e e) positioning the selected one of the bags at a load station; f) spreadig the top of the selected bag and contracting sections of the belts to open the bag; g) insertipng a product in the selected bag; h) closing the selected bag and feeding it from the load station ~irto a continuation of the path between belts of a continuolsly operating pair of belt conveyors; i) securing the bag lips together; j) utilising a plow to fold the lips outwardly in opposite directions from the path of travel respectively over the belts of the first pair; and, k) capturing the folded lips between the belts of the first pair of conveyors and belts of a second pair of belt conveyors.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the securing step comprises feeding the loaded bag between platens of a heat sealer.

22. A machine for manipulating a plastic web substant- ially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 4 25

23. A method of manipulating a slitted plastic web substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 4

24. A method of packaging substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED: 18 August 1993 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys fort: AUTOMATED PACKAGING SYSTEMS, INC. c er 6482Z 23-