CA1082147A - Evacuation device - Google Patents
Evacuation deviceInfo
- Publication number
- CA1082147A CA1082147A CA248,301A CA248301A CA1082147A CA 1082147 A CA1082147 A CA 1082147A CA 248301 A CA248301 A CA 248301A CA 1082147 A CA1082147 A CA 1082147A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- chamber
- commodity
- air
- packaged
- pressure
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B25/00—Packaging other articles presenting special problems
- B65B25/20—Packaging garments, e.g. socks, stockings, shirts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B31/00—Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers
- B65B31/02—Filling, closing, or filling and closing, containers or wrappers in chambers maintained under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure or containing a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B31/00—Packaging articles or materials under special atmospheric or gaseous conditions; Adding propellants to aerosol containers
- B65B31/02—Filling, closing, or filling and closing, containers or wrappers in chambers maintained under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure or containing a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas
- B65B31/024—Filling, closing, or filling and closing, containers or wrappers in chambers maintained under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure or containing a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas specially adapted for wrappers or bags
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
- Vacuum Packaging (AREA)
- Closing Of Containers (AREA)
- Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
Abstract
AN IMPROVED EVACUATION DEVICE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A device to produce in consecutive order evacuated sack-like packages enclosing non-rigid articles in order to reduce the package volume for economy of storage and transport. The device comprises two hingedly interconnected walls between which the packages are introduced, a strip seal forming an airtight chamber between said walls, means to evacuate the air from said packages, and means to there-after heat seal said packages.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A device to produce in consecutive order evacuated sack-like packages enclosing non-rigid articles in order to reduce the package volume for economy of storage and transport. The device comprises two hingedly interconnected walls between which the packages are introduced, a strip seal forming an airtight chamber between said walls, means to evacuate the air from said packages, and means to there-after heat seal said packages.
Description
-" lO~Z~47 The present invention concerns a device designed to evacuate the air from packages consisting of soft, air-tight materials, such as e.g. plastics foils, which enclose objects of a soft and voluminous material, for instance garments, the device comprising means to evacuate the package and also means to close the package such as by heat-sealing, after the evacuation thereof.
Devices of this kind are already known and serve the purpose of minimizing the volume of soft and voluminous products by evacuating the air therefrom in order to reduce the cost of transport and storage of the products. For instance, U.S. Patent No. 2,764,859 issued to Hanselmann on October 2, 1956 discloses a device of this kind wherein a special package is provided with a valve to which may be connected a vacuum pump. However, a valve of this kind makes the package unacceptably expensive and is unsuitable for the purpose of evacuating packages in a continuous sequence.
To make rational handling possible, the only other possibility hitherto open has been to enclose the package in a hermetically sealable container which is connected to a source of vacuum. A common disadvantage inherent in this kind of air-evacuation method is, however, that during the evacuation process the packages will be crumpled in a manner permitting air traps to form inside the package, which results in poor volume reduction.
The purpose of the present invention'is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks inherent in prior-art evacuation structures and provide a device by means of which it becomes possible to evacuate packages of the kind mentioned in the introduction in an extremely rational and efficient manner ~ .
. . : . ,: :
lO~Z~47 and at a rapid speed. The invention is characterised by two interacting walls which are arranged for displacement towards and away from one another and one of which consists of a hard, flat slab whereas the opposite one consists of an airtight cloth suspended in a frame. At least one of said walls is provided around its marginal portions with a strip seal which, when the walls are moved together, forms a closed, airtight chamber between said walls. In this chamber the packages to be evacuated are received. The evacuating device is connected to the chamber and the heat-sealing means are provided in the chamber. The arrange-ment of one soft wall interacting with the evacuating process means that when the evacuation process is finished the volum-inous package is reduced into a highly compressed package.
The invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus comprising the device in accordance with the subject inven-tion, Fig. 2 illustrates the device from the side, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale.
In illustration of the device in accordance with the invention an apparatus designed to dry garments and pack them into sacks or bags of plastics has been shown.
In a dryer tunnel 1 the moisture contained in the garments is reduced to a level which is substantially below the normal moisture contents of the atmospheric air. This may be carried out by a method which is the object of a separate application and therefore shall not be described herein in -` lO~Z14,7 detail. The garments 3, suspended from an overhead conveyor rail 2, are then moved to a packaging station 4 where the garments are enclosed in a package of an airtight material, preferably plastics bags 5. The garments 3, enclosed in their separate bags 5, are then forwarded to the air-evacua-tion device in accordance with the invention.
This device comprises two walls 6 and 7 which are displaceable towards and away from one another, preferably in conformity with the embodiment illustrated in the drawings wherein one wall 7 is arranged to be swung about a hinge connection 9 (see Fig. 2) at the lower short side of the walls by means of two hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units 8, one at either side, whereas the opposite wall 6 is stationary. The stationary wall 6 consists of a flat slab having a strip seal 10 extending along its marginal portions.
When the walls 6 and 7 are moved together, this strip seal 10 creates an airtight-sealed chamber 11. Via an opening 12 at the upper part of the slab and below the seal 10 this chamber 11 communicates with an air-evacuating means, such as a pump 13, and a connection conduit 14 and a vacuum indi-cator lS. In the opening 12 in the slab is furthermore dis-posed a welding rail 16 and behind it piston-and-cylinder units 17 for displacement of the welding rail between an -operative and a inoperative position, and on the rear face of the wall 6 a welding impulse generator 18 is arranged.
The opposite wall 7 consists in accordance with the invention of a cloth 20 of plastics or rubber material which is sus-pended in a frame 19.
While a garment 3 is being packed in its individual bag 5 in the packaging station 4, the walls 6 and 7 are ~013Z~47 moved apart to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 with the aid of the piston-and-cylinder units 8, arranged one at either side. The garment, enclosed in the package, is advanced while suspended in the overhead conveyor 2 to a position between the two walls 6, 7. The wall 7 is then pulled into contact with the strip seal 10. The evacua-tion process is initiated immediately. In accordance with the invention this process is effected in such a way that the cloth 20 of the movable wall 7 is first sucked inwards against the wall 6 at the cloth middle section and thereafter towards the cloth edges. In this way, no air pockets or air traps are formed in the garment 3 but the latter is flattened to a maximum degree against the wall 6. When the cloth 20 is tightened inwards against the wall 6 a channel 21 will remain, extending circumferentially around the chamber 11 (see Fig. 3). This ensures that the air-evacuation is effected to the desired degree.
The vacuum indicator 15 issues an impulse to the welding impulse generator 18 which in turn starts the sealing process. This takes place in the following manner. The piston-and-cylinder units 17 displace the welding rail 16 into abutment against the package for a brief moment where-by in the conventional manner a seam 22 is formed closing the bag 5 in an airtight manner. The welding rail 16 is retracted, the vacuum in the chamber 11 is eliminated and the wall 7 swung away. The package that leaves the chamber is very compact and has a considerably reduced volume.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment as illustrated and described but may be modified in a variety of ways within the scope of the appended claims.
- .: - : :
In an equivalent embodiment of the invention the stationary wall 6 forms the base or support slab and the movable wall 7 is in the form of a lid portion which is vertically displaceable. In this case the packages may be advanced while supported horizontally on a conveyor to a position between the two portions 6 and 7.
The device naturally is equally suitable for reducing the volume of packages containing other objects than garments. For instance, the apparatus has been success-fully used to package other voluminous goods such as babynapkins, sanitary napkins, insulating slabs of plastics foam or mineral wool, pillows, mattresses, and so on. During preliminary attempts to evacuate packages containing, for instance mineral wool slabs, the volume was reduced to as lS low as a fourth or a fifth of the normal volume. This means that the space necessary to store packages of this kind is reduced correspondingly.
- : ~
Devices of this kind are already known and serve the purpose of minimizing the volume of soft and voluminous products by evacuating the air therefrom in order to reduce the cost of transport and storage of the products. For instance, U.S. Patent No. 2,764,859 issued to Hanselmann on October 2, 1956 discloses a device of this kind wherein a special package is provided with a valve to which may be connected a vacuum pump. However, a valve of this kind makes the package unacceptably expensive and is unsuitable for the purpose of evacuating packages in a continuous sequence.
To make rational handling possible, the only other possibility hitherto open has been to enclose the package in a hermetically sealable container which is connected to a source of vacuum. A common disadvantage inherent in this kind of air-evacuation method is, however, that during the evacuation process the packages will be crumpled in a manner permitting air traps to form inside the package, which results in poor volume reduction.
The purpose of the present invention'is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks inherent in prior-art evacuation structures and provide a device by means of which it becomes possible to evacuate packages of the kind mentioned in the introduction in an extremely rational and efficient manner ~ .
. . : . ,: :
lO~Z~47 and at a rapid speed. The invention is characterised by two interacting walls which are arranged for displacement towards and away from one another and one of which consists of a hard, flat slab whereas the opposite one consists of an airtight cloth suspended in a frame. At least one of said walls is provided around its marginal portions with a strip seal which, when the walls are moved together, forms a closed, airtight chamber between said walls. In this chamber the packages to be evacuated are received. The evacuating device is connected to the chamber and the heat-sealing means are provided in the chamber. The arrange-ment of one soft wall interacting with the evacuating process means that when the evacuation process is finished the volum-inous package is reduced into a highly compressed package.
The invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus comprising the device in accordance with the subject inven-tion, Fig. 2 illustrates the device from the side, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale.
In illustration of the device in accordance with the invention an apparatus designed to dry garments and pack them into sacks or bags of plastics has been shown.
In a dryer tunnel 1 the moisture contained in the garments is reduced to a level which is substantially below the normal moisture contents of the atmospheric air. This may be carried out by a method which is the object of a separate application and therefore shall not be described herein in -` lO~Z14,7 detail. The garments 3, suspended from an overhead conveyor rail 2, are then moved to a packaging station 4 where the garments are enclosed in a package of an airtight material, preferably plastics bags 5. The garments 3, enclosed in their separate bags 5, are then forwarded to the air-evacua-tion device in accordance with the invention.
This device comprises two walls 6 and 7 which are displaceable towards and away from one another, preferably in conformity with the embodiment illustrated in the drawings wherein one wall 7 is arranged to be swung about a hinge connection 9 (see Fig. 2) at the lower short side of the walls by means of two hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units 8, one at either side, whereas the opposite wall 6 is stationary. The stationary wall 6 consists of a flat slab having a strip seal 10 extending along its marginal portions.
When the walls 6 and 7 are moved together, this strip seal 10 creates an airtight-sealed chamber 11. Via an opening 12 at the upper part of the slab and below the seal 10 this chamber 11 communicates with an air-evacuating means, such as a pump 13, and a connection conduit 14 and a vacuum indi-cator lS. In the opening 12 in the slab is furthermore dis-posed a welding rail 16 and behind it piston-and-cylinder units 17 for displacement of the welding rail between an -operative and a inoperative position, and on the rear face of the wall 6 a welding impulse generator 18 is arranged.
The opposite wall 7 consists in accordance with the invention of a cloth 20 of plastics or rubber material which is sus-pended in a frame 19.
While a garment 3 is being packed in its individual bag 5 in the packaging station 4, the walls 6 and 7 are ~013Z~47 moved apart to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 with the aid of the piston-and-cylinder units 8, arranged one at either side. The garment, enclosed in the package, is advanced while suspended in the overhead conveyor 2 to a position between the two walls 6, 7. The wall 7 is then pulled into contact with the strip seal 10. The evacua-tion process is initiated immediately. In accordance with the invention this process is effected in such a way that the cloth 20 of the movable wall 7 is first sucked inwards against the wall 6 at the cloth middle section and thereafter towards the cloth edges. In this way, no air pockets or air traps are formed in the garment 3 but the latter is flattened to a maximum degree against the wall 6. When the cloth 20 is tightened inwards against the wall 6 a channel 21 will remain, extending circumferentially around the chamber 11 (see Fig. 3). This ensures that the air-evacuation is effected to the desired degree.
The vacuum indicator 15 issues an impulse to the welding impulse generator 18 which in turn starts the sealing process. This takes place in the following manner. The piston-and-cylinder units 17 displace the welding rail 16 into abutment against the package for a brief moment where-by in the conventional manner a seam 22 is formed closing the bag 5 in an airtight manner. The welding rail 16 is retracted, the vacuum in the chamber 11 is eliminated and the wall 7 swung away. The package that leaves the chamber is very compact and has a considerably reduced volume.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment as illustrated and described but may be modified in a variety of ways within the scope of the appended claims.
- .: - : :
In an equivalent embodiment of the invention the stationary wall 6 forms the base or support slab and the movable wall 7 is in the form of a lid portion which is vertically displaceable. In this case the packages may be advanced while supported horizontally on a conveyor to a position between the two portions 6 and 7.
The device naturally is equally suitable for reducing the volume of packages containing other objects than garments. For instance, the apparatus has been success-fully used to package other voluminous goods such as babynapkins, sanitary napkins, insulating slabs of plastics foam or mineral wool, pillows, mattresses, and so on. During preliminary attempts to evacuate packages containing, for instance mineral wool slabs, the volume was reduced to as lS low as a fourth or a fifth of the normal volume. This means that the space necessary to store packages of this kind is reduced correspondingly.
- : ~
Claims (8)
1. Vacuum packaging apparatus comprising a first rigid member, a second member disposed in facing relation with said first member and therewith defining a chamber for receiving an article to be packaged, said second member being pressure-deformable throughout the entire extent thereof in such facing relation with said first member, support means for suspending said second member such that, on such pressure deformation thereof, the middle section of said second member engages said article prior to engagement of other sections of said second member with said article whereby entrapment of air is minimized in packaging such article, and means for creating suction pres-sure in said chamber for deformation of said second member and removal of air from said chamber.
2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein there is also included sealing means for sealing a thermoplastic package.
3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said sup-port means suspends said second member in a position spaced from said first rigid member.
4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said apparatus includes means for bringing at least one of said first and second members into operative relationship with the other of the members.
5. A method of vacuum packaging a commodity in a pack-age comprising the steps of placing a packaged commodity to be vacuum packaged in a chamber defined by a first rigid member and a second member disposed in facing relationship with the first member, the second member being pressure deformable throughout the entire extent thereof in such facing relation-ship with the first member, and being spaced from said first member, creating a suction pressure in said chamber to deform the central portion of said second member so that the middle portion of said second member contacts the commodity prior to engagement of the other sections of the second member with the commodity whereby entrapment of air is minimized.
6. A method as defined in claim 5 which includes the further step of sealing the vacuum packaged commodity after the majority of the air is removed from said package.
7. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the step of creating a suction pressure in the chamber is continued until such time as the pressure-deformable second member contacts completely the packaged commodity and substantially all of the air is removed from said packaged commodity, whereafter said packaged commodity is sealed.
8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said second member is a flexible member.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE7503252A SE389314B (en) | 1975-03-21 | 1975-03-21 | EVACUATION DEVICE. |
| SE7503252-4 | 1975-03-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1082147A true CA1082147A (en) | 1980-07-22 |
Family
ID=20324028
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA248,301A Expired CA1082147A (en) | 1975-03-21 | 1976-03-19 | Evacuation device |
Country Status (11)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS5822408B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1082147A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2611131C2 (en) |
| DK (1) | DK99676A (en) |
| FI (1) | FI59371C (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2304522A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1544261A (en) |
| HK (1) | HK84079A (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1062785B (en) |
| NO (1) | NO152930C (en) |
| SE (1) | SE389314B (en) |
Families Citing this family (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA1078726A (en) * | 1976-11-01 | 1980-06-03 | Tex Innovation Ab | Horizontal packaging apparatus |
| ES468321A1 (en) * | 1977-03-30 | 1979-12-01 | Tex Innovation Ab | Method of and apparatus for packing merchandise |
| EP0100686A3 (en) * | 1982-08-04 | 1985-11-27 | Reginald David Wilson | Methods and apparatus for conditioning materials for packing |
| JPH01308732A (en) * | 1988-06-08 | 1989-12-13 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Packing apparatus for clothing and bedding |
| FR2651480B1 (en) * | 1989-09-04 | 1992-01-10 | Aaron Rene Ets | PROCESS FOR PACKING FOLDED TEXTILE ARTICLES SUCH AS MATTRESS COVERS. |
| ITVR20030115A1 (en) * | 2003-10-01 | 2005-04-02 | Marziano Salvaro | DEVICE FOR CREATING VACUUM AT LEAST PARTIAL |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2601020A (en) * | 1949-01-27 | 1952-06-17 | Standard Cap & Seal Corp | Apparatus for packaging materials |
| US2764859A (en) * | 1950-09-18 | 1956-10-02 | Norman K Hanselmann | Method of packaging compressible articles |
-
1975
- 1975-03-21 SE SE7503252A patent/SE389314B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
1976
- 1976-03-09 DK DK99676*#A patent/DK99676A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1976-03-11 GB GB9683/76A patent/GB1544261A/en not_active Expired
- 1976-03-12 FI FI760666A patent/FI59371C/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1976-03-16 NO NO760916A patent/NO152930C/en unknown
- 1976-03-17 JP JP51028217A patent/JPS5822408B2/en not_active Expired
- 1976-03-17 DE DE2611131A patent/DE2611131C2/en not_active Expired
- 1976-03-18 IT IT21378/76A patent/IT1062785B/en active
- 1976-03-19 FR FR7609236A patent/FR2304522A1/en active Granted
- 1976-03-19 CA CA248,301A patent/CA1082147A/en not_active Expired
-
1979
- 1979-12-06 HK HK840/79A patent/HK84079A/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2304522B1 (en) | 1978-03-17 |
| DK99676A (en) | 1976-09-22 |
| NO152930C (en) | 1985-12-18 |
| SE389314B (en) | 1976-11-01 |
| FI760666A (en) | 1976-09-22 |
| HK84079A (en) | 1979-12-14 |
| SE7503252L (en) | 1976-09-22 |
| FI59371B (en) | 1981-04-30 |
| DE2611131C2 (en) | 1983-09-08 |
| FI59371C (en) | 1981-08-10 |
| NO152930B (en) | 1985-09-09 |
| NO760916L (en) | 1976-09-22 |
| GB1544261A (en) | 1979-04-19 |
| JPS51119155A (en) | 1976-10-19 |
| JPS5822408B2 (en) | 1983-05-09 |
| DE2611131A1 (en) | 1976-09-30 |
| FR2304522A1 (en) | 1976-10-15 |
| IT1062785B (en) | 1985-01-14 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |