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
  • B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
  • B65B9/06—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in a longitudinally-folded web, or in a web folded into a tube about the articles or quantities of material placed upon it
  • B65B9/067—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in a longitudinally-folded web, or in a web folded into a tube about the articles or quantities of material placed upon it the web advancing continuously
• • 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
  • B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
  • B65B61/20—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for adding cards, coupons or other inserts to package contents

Definitions

• This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for packaging articles and articles packaged by the apparatus or method.
• the invention relates to the packaging of articles for use as free gifts in cartons of cereals and other products.
• the present invention seeks to provide a packaging method and apparatus and packaged articles produced by the packaging apparatus which will either reduce or eliminate the above problems. Accordingly the present invention provides a packaging apparatus comprising means for feeding a continuous length of packaging material, the material being provided with spaced position indicating markings, means for folding the material into a strip, means for feeding items to be packaged onto the strip at spaced apart intervals r means for sealing the edges of the strip together, and means for sealing the strip laterally between each adjacent packaged item.
• a package containing a number of spaced apart items, each item being separately sealed and located adjacent position indicating markings.
• Figure l shows a diagrammatic representation of one form of packaging apparatus according to the present invention.
• Figure 2 shows a schematic form of a side elevation of package sealing apparatus in two positions
• Figure 3 shows a sealed package according to the present invention
• Figure 4 is a side elevation of a preferred machine for carrying out a first packaging method of the invention
• Fig u re 5 is a schematic view illustrating the packaging method carried out by the machine of Figure 4;
• Figure 6 is a schematic illustration showing a further preferred step in a packaging process as carried out using packages made in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 1 there is shown a length of packaging material (10) which is drawn by means (not shown) in the direction of arrows A from a feed reel (not shown) to a take up reel (not shown) .
• the packaging material (10) is a food quality transparent material which is printed along one side with equi-spaced marking rectangles (12) .
• the markings (12) are preferably printed in white though other colours may be used and the marking rectangles serve as a position indicating means as will be described below.
• Adjacent the strip of material (10) is an article feeding apparatus (14) comprising a hopper (16) , a conveyor belt (18) , which is driven by a motor (20) under the control of a controller (22) which operates in response to the signals from a sensor (24).
• .m' icles (26) which are to be packaged are contained in the h ⁇ '.r.er ' ) and are transferred by means of the conveyor (18) toward.-monye moving strip of material (10) .
• the speed of the conveyc 18) is controlled by the signals from the sensor (24) which detects the passage of the markings (12) .
• the signals from the sensor (24) pass to the controller (22) which controls the speed of the motor (20) and thus the speed of the conveyor (18) .
• the speed of the material (10) and the conveyor (18) are synchronised so that an article (26) is located adjacent each marking (12) .
• a folding apparatus comprising a folding box folds the strip (10) in half so that the edges of the strip are adjacent to one another.
• the edges of the folded strip are driven into a slot (not shown) in a plate (not shown) over a sealing apparatus (28) which is located downstream of the conveyor (18) .
• the sealing apparatus (28) comprises one or more pairs of rollers which seal the edges of the strip (10) together to form a tube.
• a further sealing apparatus (30) which seals the tube laterally is located downstream of the sealing apparatus (28) .
• the sealing apparatus comprises a pair of crimp jaws (32) and (34) which seal the tube laterally at two spaced apart locations between (36) and (38) between adjacent articles (26) .
• An unsealed land (40) is left between the seals (36) and (38) .
• the width of the seals (36) and (38) and the w.--th of the land (40) can be varied by adjusting the dimensions A and'B on the jaws (32) and (34) .
• the packaging apparatus described above produces a tubular package comprising a plurality of articles (26) which are located adjacent the markings (12) and each article (26) is individually sealed in the package.
• FIG 4 shows a preferred machine (41) for carrying out the preferred method of the invention.
• the machine (41) has an infeed conveyor (49) , a wrapping feed unit (42) , a folding box (43) , a long seal unit (44) , a long seal unit (45) and a discharge conveyor (46) .
• the machine is controlled by an electrical cabinet (47) , a drier (49) and a control panel (52) .
• the infeed conveyor (49) is fed by hand with the product, which is pushed by the conveyor flights to the folding box (43) .
• the folding box (43) converts the web of wrapping material (50 in Figure 5) into a tube (51).
• the product (53) is pushed into the tube (51) by the infeed conveyor (49) .
• the wrapping tube (51) formed by the folding box (43), has a longitudinal fold formed on its lower face. This fold is gripped, heat sealed and folded to form the long seal on the wrapping tube by rollers in the long seal unit (44) .
• the long seal unit (44) passes the product (53), inside the wrapping tube (51) , to the end seal unit (45) which seals the tube (51) into individual bags (54) , each containing one unit of the product (53).
• end seal unit (5) has a cutter (55) which can, if desired, cut the bags into individual sealed units.
• the cutter unit (55) is, of course, only used to produce individual packages (54) in the prior art construction.
• the cutter unit (55) is dispensed with and the packages are produced in the form of a continuous length of sealed tube with the packages at spaced intervals therealong and the aforesaid register markings also provided on the packaging.
• the supply of the package product in a continuous length is most advantageous when the aforesaid product, when eventually converted into an individual package, is to constitute a secondary package to be introduced into a main or first package having a first product therein prior to closure of that package.
• Figure 6 illustrates a preferred step in the method and apparatus of the invention.
• a conveyor (57) conveys cartons (58) or comparable first, main packages from left to right.
• Indicated schematically at (59) is a filling station where main product (60) is filled.
• the product (60) can be a cereal.
• Downstream of the filling station the packets (58) pass to a secondary product filling station indicated generally by the numeral (61) .
• a secondary product (62) essentially a single package formed by the aforedescribed method is introduced into the each packet.
• the main packets together with the main product (60) and the secondary product (62) pass to glue, plough and seal stations (63), (64) and (65).
• a store for a continuous length of secondary product At the secondary filling station (61) is provided a store for a continuous length of secondary product.
• the store can be in the form of a roll (66) as illustrated, or in the form of a festoon as indicated at (67) .
• Adjacent the path of travel of the secondary product (62) is a photo or like detector (69) which controls the operation of a cutter (70) where it controls circuitry (71) which also can control the rate of feed of secondary product (62) from the store roll (66) .
• Sensing means such as (72) is also connected to the circuitry (71) and senses when a main packet (58) is to arrive at the secondary filling station.
• the sensor (69) further indicates the presence of a secondary product (62) at the discharge end of the guide (68) .
• the signals from the two detectors (69) and (72) are used by the circuitry to ensure that cutter (70) operates at such a time as to allow the end product (62) to fall directly into the open main packet (58) in synchronism as it passes the secondary filling station (61) .
• the circuitry also controls the rate of feed from the roll (66) so that the continuous length of product (62) and the conveyor (57) operate in synchronism.
• An important feature of the present invention is that of its particular applicability in the range of food extras, in particular small toys or other novelties which are packaged and then introduced into cereal packets.
• packaged items are to be used in very close, indeed in direct contact with the foodstuffs themselves, it is not usually considered appropriate to have printing and like inks on the surface coatings actually in direct contact with the food product. Therefore, in the present invention it is important if the film used to package the individual secondary products is transparent or translucent to such an extent that it can be printed on one side, and which side is, during the folding process, converted to be the inside of the packet, the printing being visible and/or legible through the film yet not being present on the outside of the packet so as not to possibly contaminat the food.
• the inside of the packaging can be printed in such a way so as to contain a significant amount of information independent of, or in particular relating to t ! - second product, (for example directions for use in the case of the novelty toy or the like) without such printing becoming a possible contamination problem.
• the package produced by the apparatus according to the present invention can then be formed into a roll or a festoon. It will then be possible for the package to be fed from the roll or the festoon at the cereal product parking plant and each individual packaged article cut from the package length in the region of the land (40) so that each packaged article will fall into the cereal carton.
• the cutting mechanism which is used to separate each packaged article from the continuous length of packaging can be operated in response to a signal from a detector which senses the passage r of the markings (12) .
• the markings (12) serve two functions, namely the correct positioning of the articles in a packaging apparatus and the separating of each individual packaged article from the finished length of packaged articles.
• the packaged articles can take a number of forms such as plastic three dimensional representations of comic or cartoon characters.
• the markings (12) can take a number of forms and is not restricted to a marking comprising a printed rectangle. It is only necessary that the markings can be detected to ensure that the articles are packaged at regular intervals and to enable the packaged articles to be separated from the length of packaged articles.

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=10706237

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

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• 1991
  • 1991-12-13 GB GB9126529A patent/GB9126529D0/en active Pending
• 1992
  • 1992-12-11 EP EP92924827A patent/EP0615507A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1992-12-11 JP JP5510726A patent/JPH07501774A/ja active Pending
  • 1992-12-11 WO PCT/GB1992/002307 patent/WO1993012003A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1992-12-11 AU AU30927/92A patent/AU3092792A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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