CA2105897A1 - Hole punch for end seal pouch - Google Patents
Hole punch for end seal pouchInfo
- Publication number
- CA2105897A1 CA2105897A1 CA 2105897 CA2105897A CA2105897A1 CA 2105897 A1 CA2105897 A1 CA 2105897A1 CA 2105897 CA2105897 CA 2105897 CA 2105897 A CA2105897 A CA 2105897A CA 2105897 A1 CA2105897 A1 CA 2105897A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- seal
- film
- hole
- pouch
- tube
- 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.)
- Abandoned
Links
Landscapes
- Making Paper Articles (AREA)
- Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A pouch includes a hole in the transverse seal area of the pouch. This hole is made by means of an apparatus including a die punch integrally included in the cooling bar of the apparatus.
Description
2~ ~.3897 HOI.E PUNCH FOR END SEAL POUCH
Field of the Invention This invention relates to a bag or pouch with a hole in the end seal and a method and apparatus for forming said bag in a form/fill/seal process. Particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a bag with a hole in an end seal so that the bag may be readily hung on a pegboard.
Background of the Inven_ion In the field of packaging food and non-food liquid and/or flowable food and non-food products, a convenient meth-od of packaging such products in thermoplastic film has been developed and is generally known as a form/fill~seal process.
In such a process a tube is formed from thermoplastic film and the bottom end seal is made by transversely sealing across the tube with heated seal bars to form a conveniently wide heat seal and, consequently, producing a bag or pouch ready to receive a product. After the heat seal is made, the bag or pouch is filled and then another transverse heat seal is made across the width of the tube in a relatively wide band. After cooling, this seal is transversely severed to separate the fill bag from the next bag to be filled. Thus, one wide band seal serves as the bottom seal for one bag and the top seal for another.
Field of the Invention This invention relates to a bag or pouch with a hole in the end seal and a method and apparatus for forming said bag in a form/fill/seal process. Particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a bag with a hole in an end seal so that the bag may be readily hung on a pegboard.
Background of the Inven_ion In the field of packaging food and non-food liquid and/or flowable food and non-food products, a convenient meth-od of packaging such products in thermoplastic film has been developed and is generally known as a form/fill~seal process.
In such a process a tube is formed from thermoplastic film and the bottom end seal is made by transversely sealing across the tube with heated seal bars to form a conveniently wide heat seal and, consequently, producing a bag or pouch ready to receive a product. After the heat seal is made, the bag or pouch is filled and then another transverse heat seal is made across the width of the tube in a relatively wide band. After cooling, this seal is transversely severed to separate the fill bag from the next bag to be filled. Thus, one wide band seal serves as the bottom seal for one bag and the top seal for another.
3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
21 ~3 ~ 8 9 1 A machine for making bags in a vertical form/fill/seal machine is described in United States Patent No. 4,506,494, incorporated herein by reference, which issued on March 26, 1985 to Mamoru Shimoyama et al. In the Shimoyama et al. patent a vertically held tube with a bottom end that has been closed by a transverse heat seal is filled with a liquid, semiliquid, or paste charge or contents and squeeze rollers spaced apart and above the bottom end seal squeeze the filled tube and pinch the walls of the flatted tube together.
When a length of tubing of the desired height of the bag has been fed through the squeeze rollers a heat seal is made trans-versely across the flattened tubing by heat seal bars which clamp and seal the film of the tube therebetween. After the seal bars have been withdrawn the film moves downwardly to be contacted by cooled clamping and severing bars which clamp the film therebetween and are provided with a cutting knife to sever the sealed film at about the midpoint of the seal so that approximately half of the seal will be on the upper part of a tube and the other half on the lower. When the sealing and severing operation is complete, the squeeze rollers are separated to allow a new charge of product to enter the flat-tened tube after which the aforementioned described process is repeated thus continuously producing vertically form/fill/seal bags which have a bottom end and top end heat seal closure.
U.S. Patent No. 3,407,077 (Helin) discloses a food package with an aperture 26 in a corner of the package.
One of the drawbacks of such sealed bags is that the bags are sometimes difficult to mount, e.g. on a display or pegboard. Accoxdingly, it is one object of the present inven-tion to provide an apparatus, a bag, and method for making same which produces a bag with a hole in an end seal of the bag.
i 3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
. ' . : :.'~::~ -210~897 Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a convenient and efficient way of making a bag with a hole in the end seal which can be incorporated into existing form/fill/seal bag making equipment.
These and other objects wil~ be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following Description of the Drawings, Summary of the Invention and Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs The invention may be further understood by reference to the drawings attached hereto, in which:
FIG. 1 represents a method of and apparatus for in-stalling a hole in an end seal of a pouch produced in a verti-cal form/fill/seal process in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a spring loaded punch; and ` FIG. 3 depicts the finished heat sealed pouch incor-. porating a hole in an end seal of the pouch.
Summary of the Invention In one aspect of the present invention, a package comprises a food product; a thermoplastic film containing the product, the film bèing heat sealed to itself at a longitudi-nal seal, and at a transverse seal at each end of the package;
and a hole in one of the transverse seals.
In another aspect of the present invention, a verti-cal form/fill/seal apparatus comprises a means for advancing a J length of tubular film downwardly; a means for transversely .~
3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
r,.'. . .. ~ ' , ' , : ' 2~0~89 ~
sealing the tubular film together at each end of the length of tubular film to form a pouch; and a means for cooling and severins the film in the area of the transverse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to create a discrete package with a hole in a transverse seal.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for making a pouch with a handle comprises advancing a length of film downwardly in a vertical form/fill/seal appara-tus; longitudinally sealing the film to form a tube; trans-versely sealing the tubular film at a lower end of the length of tube; inserting a food product into the tube; transversely sealing the tubular film at an upper end of the length of the tube; and severing the tubular film in the area of the trans-verse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to form a pouch with a hole in a transverse end seal.
DescriPtion of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to FIG. 1 the vertical form/fill/seal process or method 10 to be used in connection with the present invention will be described. The tube 12 can be either a seamless tube or preferably is a tube formed from a sheet of flattened film by a longitudinal seal. The film material is preferably a relatively strong, heat sealable film having good seal strength and if extended shelf life of the contents is desired, the film may have gas barrier properties. The tube 12 as shown in FIG. 1 has been filled with a charge of liquid or semiliquid e.g. soup concentrate or paste-like contents. A
flattened portion of the tube has been sealed by a pair of seal bars (not shown~ which are heated to the heat welding temperature of the particular thermoplastic film from which the film is formed. These bars make the relatively wide band seal transversely across the tube. This seal forms the top or upper end seal for the lower or filled pouch and will also 3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
210 ~97 form the lower or bottom end seal for the next to be formed pouch.
When the seal bars have been withdrawn and squeeze rollers have been rotated to feed off an additional length of flattened tubular film, the sealed band is now in a position between the cooling and back-up bars 14 and 16, respectively.
The cooling bar pairs 14 have been advanced to the seal and clamp and hold the seal at this point thereby cooling the seal. Knife 18 is held by a pneumatic cylinder (not shown) to fire it through the passageway 19 and return while the film is clamped and being cooled.
The cutting knife thus severs the seal at approxi-mately its midpoint thereby severing the pouch.
A die punch 20 (see also FIG. 2), which may be spring-loaded, is mounted in the cooling bar 14. It protrudes a small distance, preferably about .25 inches, from the ribbed innex face of the cooling bar. As the cooling and back-up bars come together, the punch 20 is forced through the sealed film into an elastomeric covering 17 (e.g. silicone rubber) on ~ the back-up bar. This cuts a hole in the film. After the ¦ bars are brought in a closed position, the knife 18 fires, separating the applied seal above the punched hole 26, and thereby separating the finished pouch.
As shown in FIG. 3, the final package contains a hole 26 which is disposed in the transverse seal area 28 at one end of the pouch 24.
The use of the present invention provides a simple but effective means of providing a hole on a pouch while not affectinq the speed or steps of operation of typical vertical formlfill/seal arrangements.
3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
i.$-2~0~97 It is to be understood that variations and modifica-tions of the presen~ invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also understood that the scope of the invention is not to be interpreted as limited to the specific em~odiments disclosed herein, but only in accordance with the appended claims when read in light of the foregoing disclosure. The detailed description of the pre-ferred embodiment is given by way of illustration only since numerous changes and modifications well within the spirit and scope of the invention could become apparent to those already skilled in the art in view oi the description herein.
3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
: ~
21 ~3 ~ 8 9 1 A machine for making bags in a vertical form/fill/seal machine is described in United States Patent No. 4,506,494, incorporated herein by reference, which issued on March 26, 1985 to Mamoru Shimoyama et al. In the Shimoyama et al. patent a vertically held tube with a bottom end that has been closed by a transverse heat seal is filled with a liquid, semiliquid, or paste charge or contents and squeeze rollers spaced apart and above the bottom end seal squeeze the filled tube and pinch the walls of the flatted tube together.
When a length of tubing of the desired height of the bag has been fed through the squeeze rollers a heat seal is made trans-versely across the flattened tubing by heat seal bars which clamp and seal the film of the tube therebetween. After the seal bars have been withdrawn the film moves downwardly to be contacted by cooled clamping and severing bars which clamp the film therebetween and are provided with a cutting knife to sever the sealed film at about the midpoint of the seal so that approximately half of the seal will be on the upper part of a tube and the other half on the lower. When the sealing and severing operation is complete, the squeeze rollers are separated to allow a new charge of product to enter the flat-tened tube after which the aforementioned described process is repeated thus continuously producing vertically form/fill/seal bags which have a bottom end and top end heat seal closure.
U.S. Patent No. 3,407,077 (Helin) discloses a food package with an aperture 26 in a corner of the package.
One of the drawbacks of such sealed bags is that the bags are sometimes difficult to mount, e.g. on a display or pegboard. Accoxdingly, it is one object of the present inven-tion to provide an apparatus, a bag, and method for making same which produces a bag with a hole in an end seal of the bag.
i 3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
. ' . : :.'~::~ -210~897 Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a convenient and efficient way of making a bag with a hole in the end seal which can be incorporated into existing form/fill/seal bag making equipment.
These and other objects wil~ be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following Description of the Drawings, Summary of the Invention and Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs The invention may be further understood by reference to the drawings attached hereto, in which:
FIG. 1 represents a method of and apparatus for in-stalling a hole in an end seal of a pouch produced in a verti-cal form/fill/seal process in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a spring loaded punch; and ` FIG. 3 depicts the finished heat sealed pouch incor-. porating a hole in an end seal of the pouch.
Summary of the Invention In one aspect of the present invention, a package comprises a food product; a thermoplastic film containing the product, the film bèing heat sealed to itself at a longitudi-nal seal, and at a transverse seal at each end of the package;
and a hole in one of the transverse seals.
In another aspect of the present invention, a verti-cal form/fill/seal apparatus comprises a means for advancing a J length of tubular film downwardly; a means for transversely .~
3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
r,.'. . .. ~ ' , ' , : ' 2~0~89 ~
sealing the tubular film together at each end of the length of tubular film to form a pouch; and a means for cooling and severins the film in the area of the transverse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to create a discrete package with a hole in a transverse seal.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for making a pouch with a handle comprises advancing a length of film downwardly in a vertical form/fill/seal appara-tus; longitudinally sealing the film to form a tube; trans-versely sealing the tubular film at a lower end of the length of tube; inserting a food product into the tube; transversely sealing the tubular film at an upper end of the length of the tube; and severing the tubular film in the area of the trans-verse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to form a pouch with a hole in a transverse end seal.
DescriPtion of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to FIG. 1 the vertical form/fill/seal process or method 10 to be used in connection with the present invention will be described. The tube 12 can be either a seamless tube or preferably is a tube formed from a sheet of flattened film by a longitudinal seal. The film material is preferably a relatively strong, heat sealable film having good seal strength and if extended shelf life of the contents is desired, the film may have gas barrier properties. The tube 12 as shown in FIG. 1 has been filled with a charge of liquid or semiliquid e.g. soup concentrate or paste-like contents. A
flattened portion of the tube has been sealed by a pair of seal bars (not shown~ which are heated to the heat welding temperature of the particular thermoplastic film from which the film is formed. These bars make the relatively wide band seal transversely across the tube. This seal forms the top or upper end seal for the lower or filled pouch and will also 3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
210 ~97 form the lower or bottom end seal for the next to be formed pouch.
When the seal bars have been withdrawn and squeeze rollers have been rotated to feed off an additional length of flattened tubular film, the sealed band is now in a position between the cooling and back-up bars 14 and 16, respectively.
The cooling bar pairs 14 have been advanced to the seal and clamp and hold the seal at this point thereby cooling the seal. Knife 18 is held by a pneumatic cylinder (not shown) to fire it through the passageway 19 and return while the film is clamped and being cooled.
The cutting knife thus severs the seal at approxi-mately its midpoint thereby severing the pouch.
A die punch 20 (see also FIG. 2), which may be spring-loaded, is mounted in the cooling bar 14. It protrudes a small distance, preferably about .25 inches, from the ribbed innex face of the cooling bar. As the cooling and back-up bars come together, the punch 20 is forced through the sealed film into an elastomeric covering 17 (e.g. silicone rubber) on ~ the back-up bar. This cuts a hole in the film. After the ¦ bars are brought in a closed position, the knife 18 fires, separating the applied seal above the punched hole 26, and thereby separating the finished pouch.
As shown in FIG. 3, the final package contains a hole 26 which is disposed in the transverse seal area 28 at one end of the pouch 24.
The use of the present invention provides a simple but effective means of providing a hole on a pouch while not affectinq the speed or steps of operation of typical vertical formlfill/seal arrangements.
3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
i.$-2~0~97 It is to be understood that variations and modifica-tions of the presen~ invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is also understood that the scope of the invention is not to be interpreted as limited to the specific em~odiments disclosed herein, but only in accordance with the appended claims when read in light of the foregoing disclosure. The detailed description of the pre-ferred embodiment is given by way of illustration only since numerous changes and modifications well within the spirit and scope of the invention could become apparent to those already skilled in the art in view oi the description herein.
3/930223.1/SPECFLDR
: ~
Claims (3)
1. A package comprising:
(a) a food product;
(b) a thermoplastic film containing said product, the film being heat sealed to itself at a longi-tudinal seal, and at a transverse seal at each end of the package; and (c) a hole in one of the transverse seals.
(a) a food product;
(b) a thermoplastic film containing said product, the film being heat sealed to itself at a longi-tudinal seal, and at a transverse seal at each end of the package; and (c) a hole in one of the transverse seals.
2. A vertical form/fill/seal apparatus comprising:
(a) a means for advancing a length of tubular film downwardly;
(b) a means for transversely sealing the tubular film together at each end of the length of tubular film to form a pouch; and (c) a means for cooling and severing the film in the area of the transverse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to create a discrete package with a hole in a transverse seal.
(a) a means for advancing a length of tubular film downwardly;
(b) a means for transversely sealing the tubular film together at each end of the length of tubular film to form a pouch; and (c) a means for cooling and severing the film in the area of the transverse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to create a discrete package with a hole in a transverse seal.
3. A method for making a pouch with a handle com-prising:
(a) advancing a length of film downwardly in a vertical form/fill/seal apparatus;
(b) longitudinally sealing the film to form a tube;
(c) transversely sealing the tubular film together at the lower end of the tube;
(d) inserting a food product into the tube;
(e) transversely sealing the tubular film at the upper end of the length of tube; and (f) severing the tubular film and heat sealable strip in the area of the transverse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to form a pouch with a hole in a transverse end seal.
(a) advancing a length of film downwardly in a vertical form/fill/seal apparatus;
(b) longitudinally sealing the film to form a tube;
(c) transversely sealing the tubular film together at the lower end of the tube;
(d) inserting a food product into the tube;
(e) transversely sealing the tubular film at the upper end of the length of tube; and (f) severing the tubular film and heat sealable strip in the area of the transverse seals while punching a hole in one of the transverse seals to form a pouch with a hole in a transverse end seal.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US2170793A | 1993-02-24 | 1993-02-24 | |
| US021,707 | 1993-02-24 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2105897A1 true CA2105897A1 (en) | 1994-08-25 |
Family
ID=21805699
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2105897 Abandoned CA2105897A1 (en) | 1993-02-24 | 1993-09-10 | Hole punch for end seal pouch |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2105897A1 (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA94784B (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU2016247079B2 (en) * | 2015-10-27 | 2018-05-10 | Ishida Co., Ltd. | Form-fill-seal machine |
-
1993
- 1993-09-10 CA CA 2105897 patent/CA2105897A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
1994
- 1994-02-04 ZA ZA94784A patent/ZA94784B/en unknown
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU2016247079B2 (en) * | 2015-10-27 | 2018-05-10 | Ishida Co., Ltd. | Form-fill-seal machine |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| ZA94784B (en) | 1994-09-08 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |