AU666281B2

AU666281B2 - Improvements relating to infusion packages

Info

Publication number: AU666281B2
Application number: AU13414/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephen John Barratt; James Roy Rimmer
Original assignee: Premier Brands UK Ltd
Current assignee: TYPHOO TEA Ltd
Priority date: 1991-06-14
Filing date: 1995-02-22
Publication date: 1996-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 2012-05-29
Also published as: GB9112920D0; GB9325095D0; AU658895B2; GB2271549A; GB2271549B; AU1880392A; EP0588991A1; WO1992022461A1; AU1341495A

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

o 0.

0 0 0t' C Name of Applicant: Premier Brands UK Limited *0 0 0

SO

4 Actual Inventors: James Roy Rimmer and Stephen John Barratt Address for Service: R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES, 345 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: "Improvements Relating To Infusion Packages" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to

US.

IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO INFUSION PACKAGES This invention relates to infusion packages, and in particular concerns infusion packages in the form of tea bags. Although reference is made hereinafter to tea bags, it is to be understood that the invention can be applied to other infusion bags where the bags contain material other than tea. However, as tea bags are the most common form of infusion bag to which the present invention relates, reference will be made hereinafter only to tea bags in the interests of simplicity.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of handling round tea bags arranged in a stack or stacks to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve to form a S package, wherein the stack or stacks of tea bags is or are e eo fed from a tea bag iianufacturing machine to a wrapping machine, and the stack or stacks is or are guided and held by ooooe a suitable transfer means which comprises a conveying channel defined by side walls to keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterised in that a rear pusher engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former holds S the front end of the stack or the front stack whilst conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for manufacturing and handling round tea bags arranged in one or more stacks to be wrapped, comprising a tea bag manufacturing machine, a wrapping machine, and means for feeding the stack or stacks of tea bags from the manufacturing machine to the wrapping machine, said means comprising a guide and transfer arrangement in the form of a conveying channel defined by side walls which keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterized by a rear pusher which engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former which holds the front end of the stack or the front stack while conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

Preferably the front former and rear pusher extend across the width of the channel between the walls, and may aesirably be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bags.

Additionally, where the tea bags are arranged in groups of two or more stacks, there may be side spacer members between respective stacks in each group, further to hold the round tea bags in stable stacked condition. It should be mentioned that it may be difficult to hold the tea bags in such arrangement in view of their shape.

It should also be mentioned that the expression "round" as applied to the tea bags should be construed as generally meaning curved, and not specifically circular, although circular tea bags it is believed will be the most popular form. The bags could however for example be elliptical or S oval.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention, and .0 several aspects of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a round tea bag 25 making machine, a transfer conveyor, and a flow wrapping machine; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the packages according to the embodiment of the invention, which results from the manufacturing process illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, tea bags 10 are produced by a machine, not shown in detail, whereby a first and lower web 12 and second and upper web 14 are brought together to form a laminated web 16, and between which webs are arranged portions 18 of tea each of a quantity for a single tea bag.

The laminated upper and lower webs 12, 14 pass through stations of the machine whereby the webs are sealed together around the tea portions 18 by sealing rollers 20, and then the individual round tea bags 22 are cut from the webs by cutting rollers 24.

The cut tea bags 22 pass to a magazine 26 into which the cut bags are pushed one by one by reciprocating displacers 28, and form pairs of stacks in the magazine. When the stacks are of a certain height, typically 20 tea bags high, each pair of stacks is displaced from the magazine into a feed conveyor which transports the pair of stacks 32 to a wrapping machine 33 whereat the stacks are wrapped in wrapping material 34 which forms a sleeve around the pair of stacks, and the thus wrapped stacks are severed from the remainder of the wrapping material to form a package 36 as shown in Fig. 2.

The pairs of stacks which form groups, are displaced on the conveying means 30 in any suitable manner. Typically, the S conveying means comprises a conveyor 30 on which the stacks are supported, and a rear pusher 38 which engages the rear of the rearmost stack, and supports the group. Additionally a front holder 40 holds the front end of the front stack 32 whereby the group is held in stable stacked condition. This S is important in relation to the conveying of round tea bags 25 in this manner. If desired there may be intermediate spacers (not shown) which lie between the two stacks of tea bags at the sides thereof in order to enhance the stability of the stacks.

In the arrangement shown, the pusher 38 and the front holder member 40 are carried by the conveyor, but the front holder member could be carried by a separate and overhead conveyor 42 simply to assist in the ejection of the groups from the manufacturing machine.

The conveyor as shown comprises a pair of side walls 44, 46 which form adjustable guides in that the bag edges are supported lightly against these walls as conveying takes places. The spacing between the walls can be finely adjusted.

At the flow wrapping machine 33, the wrapping material is sealed longitudinally (48 Fig. 2) around the groups of tea bags, and this is followed by transverse sealing 50 to the front and rear of the bags. As indicated in Fig. 2, the sealing bars for effecting the transverse seals may form seals 52 of curved configuration, so that the seal 52 around the tea bag at each end of the package may be such as to conform to the tea bag curvature, whereby the bags will be held firmly in stacks inside the package. In this connection, it is preferable that the sleeve be a neat fit around the tea bags to hold same in stable condition.

The sealing bars need not of course be curved, and may simply be straight, but in any event, the packages are severed S transversely from the remainder of the wrapping material by means of a transverse cutting device.

The manufacture of the tea bags and the wrapping of same in the sleeve material takes place on a continuous basis.

See

Claims

1. A method of handling round tea bags arranged in a stack or stacks to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve to form a package, wherein the stack or stacks of tea bags is or are fed from a tea bag manufacturing machine to a wrapping machine, and the stack or stacks is or are guided and held by a suitable transfer means which comprises a conveying channel defined by side walls to keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterised in that a rear pusher engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former holds the front end of the stack or the front stack whilst conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the front former and rear pusher extend across the width of the channel between the walls and may desirably be curved to S" follow the curvature of the tea bags.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the tea bags are arranged in groups of two or more stacks, and there are side spacer members between the respective stacks o in each group, further to hold the round tea bags in stable stacked condition during the transportation of same between 2 the tea bag manufacturing machine and the wrapping machine.

4. Apparatus for manufacturing and handling round tea bags arranged in one or more stacks to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve to form a package, comprising a tea bag manufacturing machine, a wrapping machine, and means for feeding the stack or stacks of tea bags from the manufacturing machine to the wrapping machine, said means comprising a guide and transfer arrangement in the form of a conveying channel defined by side walls which keep the stack or stacks in stable condition, characterised by a rear pusher which engages the rear of the stack or rearmost stack, and a front former which holds the front end of the stack or the front stack while conveying to the wrapping machine takes place.

Apparatus according to claim 4 characterised in that the front former and rear pusher extend across the width of the channel between the walls and may desirably be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bags.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterised in that the tea bags are arranged in groups of two or more stacks, and there are side spacer members between respective stacks in each group, further to hold the round tea bags in stable stacked condition during the transportation of same between the tea bag manufacturing machine and the wrapping machine.

7. Apparatus for manufacturing and handling round tea bags arranged in one or more stacks to be wrapped in a flexible S:i sleeve to form a package, substantially as hereinbefore S described and with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of handling round tea bags arranged in a stack S.0 or stacks said to be wrapped in a flexible sleeve to form a package, substantially as hereinbefore described and with S reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 22nd day of February 1995. PREMIER BRANDS UK LIMITED By its Patent Attorneys R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES rlKaV ABSTRACT The invention provides that round tea bags (10) are arranged in stacks and wrapped in flexible sleeves (34) to form packages Preferably each package will comprise two stacks (32) of round tea bags, and the seals at the end of the sleeve (34) may be round to keep the tea bags in stacked condition. The invention also describes a method of feeding stacks (32) of round tea bags from a tea bag manufacturing machine to a wrapping machine employing a guide channel (44, 46) and front (40) and rear (38) guide and transportation members which may be curved to follow the curvature of the tea bag edges. S S 9 0