EP0808770B1 - Method and device for opening and filling of multi-pocket bags and bags obtained - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and device of multi-bagging bags and sachets thus obtained, or also said multi-compartment pockets.

The technical sector of the invention is that of the field of bagging by packaging such as bags and especially sachets, made by flat bands folded and sealed to form pockets that are then filled with liquid, pasty, solid or powdery product, and closed.

One of the main applications of the invention is the possibility to make multi-pocket sachets with at least 3 compartments each receiving a different product, powder or other, such as by example of sugar, coffee and powdered milk, thus constituting a complete set to prepare a breakfast, which allows to simplify handling and preparation of trays, for example in communities.

We know different automated bagging lines which allow to make sachets containing a predetermined dose a liquid, solid, powdery or pasty product, which is injected or flows by gravity and / or any metering device into each pocket made up and then closed for distribution either individually or by continuous strip of sachets. However, at this day, such bagging lines are mainly developed for doses or sachets containing the same product, the external surface tape that is folded and welded, or welded tape, to constitute said sachets being pre-printed with the mentions corresponding to the products to be bagged there, as in the process and device described in patent application FR 2 640 231 published on June 15, 1990 and entitled "Method and device for the making and presenting the sample as a dose. "

Such machines are known, not only in the field in the food industry, but also in the area of products pharmaceutical or aesthetic.

No device to date, however, reliably allows speed and efficiency, to produce multi-pocket sachets that we want fill simultaneously by simple gravity and / or any type of dispenser but without injection nozzle, with at least 2 different products.

Admittedly, we know the patent application FR 2 682 932 published on April 30, 1993 on a "Process for producing platelets of dose sachets, the machine for processing and the plates obtained "to contain different products but with injection of produced by nozzles and according to a device which can only be according to a vertical advancement axis from two strips of sheets, the width corresponds to that of the plates, or the sum of that of all pockets, which limits the possibilities. We also know document DE-A-4 216 193 which describes a continuous packaging in a sub-divided form intended to be cut every 2 or 3 or more pockets to make multi-pocket sachets. All pockets receive the same powder thanks to a rotating barrel device.

The problem posed to be able to achieve the above objective of multi-pouch bag allowing to be filled with several products different is to be able to present the various compartments of the same sachet under the filling orifices of said products after having sufficiently open the volume of each pocket by spacing walls made of flexible and deformable material, but which, due in particular to the welds and to a certain inherent rigidity, does not deform sufficiently under the simple weight of the product that is inside drop in or drop in to receive the full volume of the desired dose: it is therefore necessary to pre-spread the walls of each pocket to the maximum of their volume so that the filling is then do in good conditions. He is known to this day for single and single product sachets, in addition to the whole process bagging as described below to prepare said bags, to open these by pairs of suction cups arranged near the opening of each pocket to draw the walls by suction corresponding for each pocket taken one after the other then place it under the filling hole of the same product: the pockets are then all identical.

In the case of multi-compartment sachets, the fact that the set pockets of the same bag stand relative to each other and that when the walls are opened, the walls are deformed, the dimensions of each pocket are then not constant and none device to date only allows simultaneous opening and sufficient at least two pockets, if not of course three.

One solution to the problem posed is a device for opening rectangular bag made by two walls of flexible material secured on three sides and constituting at least one pocket, such that comprises in a known manner at least two suction cups arranged facing facing so that they can be placed against each wall of said bag and able to pull on it, to open the walls at the fourth side not secured to said pocket: according to the invention, the opening device has at least two pairs, in fact as many as integral pockets to constitute a sachet independent, of said suction cups mounted at the end of movable arms by compared to fixed guides, which movable movable arms simultaneously and their associated fixed guides, arranged on the same side of the pocket, form two by two between them a divergent angle whose opening α is oriented opposite that of the same opening α formed by the arms arranged on the other side and carrying the suction cups which face theirs.

To facilitate said opening of each pocket, in a mode preferential embodiment, the device comprises at least two, in fact as many pockets attached to the same bag, blowing nozzles gases such as compressed air, oriented in the plane defined by said suction cups placed side by side and each towards the contact point of these; this helps the separation of the walls not only to ensure the opening of each pocket, but also to inflate it and obtain the deformation of the desired volume.

When the bag is of a significant height, the aspiration of walls close to the opening even with the help of a blowing nozzle, is not enough to distort the entire volume of each pocket, too in a preferred embodiment, for such sachets, the device according to the invention comprises two sets of pairs of suction cups arranged and movable in parallel planes, each suction cup of the pairs of the second set being in the same plane, perpendicular to said parallel mobility planes, that the suction cup the pair of the first set associated with it for the same pocket.

• on forme une bande de largeur constante et continue, d'un matériau souple et à double parois solidaires l'une de l'autre par un de leurs bords continus;
• on scelle perpendiculairement à celui-ci les deux parois entre elles sur une zone de largeur suffisante pour être partagée en deux tout en gardant de chaque côté de la coupure les parois scellées, à intervalles donnés pour réaliser des poches, dont le fond est alors constitué par ledit bord continu de la bande;
• on découpe ladite bande le long desdits scellements délimitant des poches pour obtenir des sachets indépendants les uns des autres, soit au moins toutes les deux poches et de préférence trois, pour constituer des sachets multipoches indépendants;
• on ouvre les bords restés libres de chaque poche et situés du côté opposé audit fond de celle-ci par au moins deux ventouses tirant chacune une desdites parois; pour cela, on dispose au moins autant de paires soit donc au moins deux et de préférence trois, ou même plus suivant le cas, de ventouses de part et d'autre de ladite bande que de poches constituant chaque sachet indépendant ; lesquelles ventouses sont montées au bout de bras mobiles par rapport à des guides fixes, lesquels guides fixes disposés d'un même côté de la bande forment deux à deux un angle divergent, dont l'ouverture α est orientée face au plan défini par ladite bande ; lesquels bras sont solidaires de supports, de sorte que, lorsqu'on les écarte pour ouvrir simultanément les ouvertures desdites poches du même sachet, on rapproche entre elles les ventouses qui sont disposées d'un même côté dudit sachet, chacune tirant une desdites parois de chaque poche, de telle façon qu'elles suivent la déformation de celles-ci;
• on dispose et on maintient les sachets verticaux; on remplit alors par gravité et/ou par tout type de doseur, chaque poche ainsi ouverte d'un produit liquide, pâteux, solide ou pulvérulent donné, et dans un mode particulier d'opérations, différent de celui des autres poches d'un même sachet et cela en au plus deux stations de remplissage disposées suivant le long de la ligne d'ensachage.

Thus, by using a continuous bagging line or machine and preferably arranged along a horizontal axis of movement, comprising different work stations, a step-by-step drive system and a device as above, the method of bagging according to the invention is such that:

• a strip of constant and continuous width is formed, of a flexible material and with double walls integral with one another by one of their continuous edges;
• the two walls are sealed perpendicularly to this one on a zone of sufficient width to be divided into two while keeping on each side of the cut the sealed walls, at given intervals to make pockets, the bottom of which is then formed by said continuous edge of the strip;
• said strip is cut along said seals delimiting pockets to obtain sachets independent of each other, that is to say at least every two pockets and preferably three, to constitute independent multi-pocket sachets;
• the open edges of each pocket and situated on the side opposite to the bottom thereof are opened by at least two suction cups, each pulling one of said walls; for this, there are at least as many pairs, therefore at least two and preferably three, or even more depending on the case, of suction cups on either side of said strip than of pockets constituting each independent sachet; which suction cups are mounted at the end of movable arms relative to fixed guides, which fixed guides arranged on the same side of the strip form a divergent angle in pairs, the opening α of which is oriented opposite the plane defined by said strip ; which arms are integral with supports, so that, when they are moved apart so as to simultaneously open the openings of said pockets of the same bag, the suction cups which are arranged on the same side of said bag are brought together, each pulling one of said walls from each pocket, so that they follow the deformation thereof;
• the vertical bags are placed and maintained; each pocket thus opened is then filled by gravity and / or by any type of dispenser with a given liquid, pasty, solid or powdery product, and in a particular mode of operation, different from that of the other pockets of the same sachet and this in at most two filling stations arranged along the bagging line.

The result is a new bagging device and method allowing to make bags of rectangular shape, such as have at least two pockets, preferably three or more same height, at least two of them being of different width, made in a continuous strip of flexible material and double-walled, sealed and closed, each containing a product liquid, pasty, solid or powdery of a given amount different from that contained in the adjacent pocket of the same sachet, and this automatically and quickly and reliably, whatever the height of said sachets and the respective width of each pocket; in effect, in the same sachet, depending on the products you want dose, some of these may be in larger quantities than others and thus require different pocket widths, at least for two of them.

Thanks to the device and to the specific method of the invention, such bags can thus be easily obtained, since the inclination of the guides carrying the arms of each suction cup allows by their orientation converging, in their pocket opening mobility, to bring the suction cups located on the same side, from each other, and therefore from follow the deformation of the material constituting said walls of pockets: this allows them to be opened simultaneously to the maximum of their opening, either near it or towards the bottom of each pocket by the provision of a double device of suction cups and to obtain a open and preformed capacity including the predetermined volume for this can then receive, even by simple gravity a product, without requiring injection forcing the deformation of the walls and / or oversizing of the pocket so that it accepts the quantity of product that we want to package.

Such a device and method can be used in any type of bagging lines known to date, such as those shown in the figures below, with of course an adaptation in terms of automatisms and locations of the different sachets and the different pockets relative to the products you want to fill.

La figure 1 est une vue schématique d'ensemble d'un exemple d'une ligne d'ensachage suivant le procédé de la présente invention.

La figure 2 est une vue en coupe suivant II, II' du dispositif d'ouverture représenté schématiquement sur la figure 1.

La figure 3 est une vue de dessus du dispositif ou tête supérieur d'ouverture suivant la figure 2.

La figure 4 est une vue latérale du dispositif ou tête inférieur d'ouverture de la figure 2.

La figure 5 est une vue de côté d'un sachet à 3 poches suivant l'invention.

We could cite other advantages of the present invention but those mentioned above already show enough to prove its novelty and interest. The description and the figures below represent an exemplary embodiment of the invention but are in no way limiting. Other embodiments are possible within the scope and scope of this invention, in particular by changing the arrangement of the bagging line and the various suction cup spacing control mechanisms, as well as the number of pockets per sachet which could be 2 or 4 or even more, even if that would complicate the drive mechanisms which are not shown here since already known elsewhere and which does not relate to the present invention anyway.

Figure 1 is a schematic overview of an example of a bagging line according to the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line II, II ′ of the opening device shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the device or upper opening head according to FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device or lower opening head of FIG. 2.

Figure 5 is a side view of a bag with 3 pockets according to the invention.

• on dispose sur une bobine 3, dont l'axe peut être disposé horizontalement, une feuille de largeur constante et continue, d'un matériau souple et déformable, mais ayant une certaine rigidité et résistance pour ne pas se déchirer et pouvant être manipulé sans risque d'être percé, avec également, suivant le cas, des propriétés de thermosoudage, ainsi que d'étanchéité pour pouvoir, d'une part ne pas se déchirer facilement s'il est mouillé, et d'autre part contenir des produits tels que des liquides; une telle feuille peut être réalisée avec des films d'alliage métalliques tels que d'aluminium, sur la face extérieure de laquelle des informations concernant le produit, son mode d'emploi, sa composition, la marque, etc..., peuvent être pré-imprimées avec des codes d'identification pour pouvoir commander l'ensemble des dispositifs de ladite ligne d'assemblage : pour cela, par exemple une photo-cellule 7 est disposée en tête de la ligne, avant les stations de travail décrites ci-après, et permet de lire lesdits codes qui peuvent être des codes-barres et ainsi commander à distance la vitesse d'avancement pas à pas de l'ensemble de la ligne 43 ainsi que les différentes opérations telles que décrites ci-après, afin qu'elles soient chacune réalisée à l'endroit voulu sur la bande 5;
• on forme ladite feuille déroulée de la bobine 3 par pliage 4, pour constituer ladite bande 5 de largeur constante à double parois solidaires l'une de l'autre par un de leurs bords continus 34 qui est ici celui du pliage; pour obtenir une telle bande à double parois, il pourrait être également soudé le long de ce bord continu 34, deux feuilles venant en provenance de deux bobines et en vis à vis l'une de l'autre;
• on fait passer ladite bande à double parois 5 entre des guides latéraux 6 qui peuvent être verticaux pour la centrer et la présenter dans l'axe de chaque station de travail suivante; l'avancement pas à pas de ladite bande à travers cesdites stations, et suivant une cadence prédéterminée définie grâce à la lecture de code par la photo-cellule 7 en fonction de la bande considérée, est assuré par une ou plusieurs pinces ou autres dispositifs de traction 11 qui serrent et déplacent ladite bande 5 pour la faire avancer pas à pas à travers la ligne d'ensachage 43; sur la figure 1, une seule pince est représentée mais il est certain qu'une fois que la bande 5 a été découpée en plusieurs sachets, comme défini ci-après, il doit y en avoir plusieurs pour maintenir et amener chaque sachet dans les différentes stations de travail suivantes concernées;
• même si la bande 5 est obtenue par pliage d'une seule feuille, comme représenté sur la figure 1, il est possible de rajouter pour renforcer le bord inférieur 34, un scellement tel que par soudure 8 inférieure des deux dites parois l'une contre l'autre, près de cedit bord inférieur 34, comme s'il s'agissait de deux parois constituées de deux feuilles indépendantes d'origine;
• on scelle ensuite 9 par soudage, thermosoudage, collage ou autre procédé, perpendiculairement à cedit bord inférieur continu 34 les deux parois de la bande 5 entre elles sur une zone 41 de largeur suffisante pour être partagée ensuite en deux tout en gardant de chaque côté de la coupure les parois scellées, à intervalles donnés prédéterminés pour réaliser des poches 2, dont le fond est alors constitué par ledit bord continu 34 de la bande 5;
• on découpe 10 ladite bande le long et au milieu de certains desdits scellements 9 délimitant des poches, pour obtenir des sachets 1 indépendants les uns des autres et composés d'au moins deux poches et ici de trois maintenues solidaires : suivant la figure 1, ladite découpe 10 a donc lieu tous les trois scellements;
• sur une desdites stations de découpe ou de scellement, ou sur une station spécifique, il peut être également créé une ligne 42 de pré-découpe par perçage en particulier, par exemple au milieu desdites zones 41 de scellement pour permettre ultérieurement une séparation des poches 2 l'une de l'autre pour un même sachet 1;
• on ouvre alors 40 les bords du quatrième côté restés libres de chaque poche et situés du côté opposé audit fond 34 de celle-ci par au moins autant de paires de ventouses 12 situées de part et d'autre de ladite bande que de poches constituant chaque sachet indépendant, lesquelles ventouses 12 tirant chacune une desdites parois, de telle façon qu'elles suivent la déformation de celles-ci grâce au procédé et au dispositif particulier décrit ci-après; suivant la présente invention, le nombre de poches de chaque sachet est au moins égal à deux et de préférence trois, tel que représenté sur les différentes figures jointes;
• l'ensemble desdits sachets 1 étant disposé verticalement soit depuis le début de la ligne d'ensachage 43, soit en cours de celle-ci, on les maintient verticalement, les ouvertures orientées vers le haut, les poches 2 étant ouvertes grâce au dispositif précédent et décrit plus en détail ci-après, pour pouvoir les remplir 14, même par gravité et/ou par tout dispositif de doseur, d'un produit donné 14, liquide ou solide ou pulvérulent ou pâteux, en une seule station ou éventuellement en deux si l'encombrement des dispositifs de remplissage ne permet pas de les mettre à un seul endroit d'une seule station de la ligne d'ensachage; les poches étant parfaitement ouvertes grâce au dispositif de l'invention, il peut être disposé à l'intérieur la dose exacte des produits 14₁, 14₂, 14₃ voulue, sans risque de débordement, chaque poche étant prédéterminée dans ses dimensions pour pouvoir contenir ladite dose;
• on scelle alors ensuite 15 lesdits bords 35 de l'ouverture pour fermer chaque poche 2, et ensuite évacuer 16 l'ensemble des sachets 1 comportant lesdites trois poches 2 de l'exemple représenté, avec chacune remplie suivant le cas, d'un produit différent 14₁, 14₂, 14₃.

According to FIG. 1 and in a known manner, the bagging process according to the invention is carried out in a bagging line 43 arranged along a horizontal advancement axis, such as:

• a sheet 3 of constant and continuous width, of flexible and deformable material, but having a certain rigidity and resistance so as not to tear and which can be handled without risk, is placed on a reel 3, the axis of which can be arranged horizontally. to be pierced, with also, as the case may be, heat-sealing properties, as well as sealing in order to be able, on the one hand not to tear easily if it is wet, and on the other hand to contain products such as liquids; such a sheet can be produced with metallic alloy films such as aluminum, on the external face of which information concerning the product, its instructions for use, its composition, the brand, etc., can be pre-printed with identification codes in order to be able to control all the devices of said assembly line: for this, for example a photo-cell 7 is placed at the head of the line, before the workstations described below. afterwards, and makes it possible to read said codes which may be bar codes and thus remotely control the step-by-step speed of the assembly of line 43 as well as the various operations as described below, so that 'They are each made at the desired location on the strip 5;
• forming said unwound sheet of the reel 3 by folding 4, to form said strip 5 of constant width with double walls integral with one another by one of their continuous edges 34 which is here that of folding; to obtain such a double-walled strip, it could also be welded along this continuous edge 34, two sheets coming from two coils and facing each other;
• passing said double-walled strip 5 between lateral guides 6 which may be vertical to center it and present it in the axis of each subsequent work station; step by step advancement of said strip through these stations, and at a predetermined rate defined by reading code by the photocell 7 as a function of the strip considered, is ensured by one or more clamps or other devices traction 11 which clamp and move said strip 5 to advance it step by step through the bagging line 43; in Figure 1, a single clamp is shown but it is certain that once the strip 5 has been cut into several sachets, as defined below, there must be several to hold and bring each sachet into the different following workstations affected;
• even if the strip 5 is obtained by folding a single sheet, as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to add, to reinforce the lower edge 34, a seal such as by lower welding 8 of the two said walls one against the other, near said lower edge 34, as if they were two walls made up of two independent original sheets;
• then sealing 9 by welding, heat sealing, bonding or other process, perpendicular to said continuous lower edge 34, the two walls of the strip 5 between them over an area 41 of sufficient width to be then divided into two while keeping on each side of cutting the sealed walls, at predetermined given intervals to produce pockets 2, the bottom of which is then formed by said continuous edge 34 of the strip 5;
• said strip 10 is cut along and in the middle of some of said seals 9 delimiting pockets, to obtain sachets 1 independent of each other and composed of at least two pockets and here of three held together: according to FIG. 1, said cutting 10 therefore takes place every three seals;
• on one of said cutting or sealing stations, or on a specific station, it is also possible to create a line 42 for pre-cutting by drilling in particular, for example in the middle of said sealing zones 41 to subsequently allow separation of the pockets 2 one of the other for the same sachet 1;
• the edges of the fourth side remained free of each pocket 40 and located on the side opposite to the bottom 34 thereof by at least as many pairs of suction cups 12 located on either side of said strip as pockets constituting each independent bag, which suction cups 12 each pulling one of said walls, so that they follow the deformation thereof by the method and the particular device described below; according to the present invention, the number of pockets of each sachet is at least equal to two and preferably three, as shown in the various attached figures;
• all of said sachets 1 being disposed vertically either from the start of the bagging line 43, or in the course of the latter, they are held vertically, the openings oriented upwards, the pockets 2 being open thanks to the preceding device and described in more detail below, in order to be able to fill them 14, even by gravity and / or by any metering device, with a given product 14, liquid or solid or pulverulent or pasty, in a single station or possibly in two if the size of the filling devices does not allow them to be placed in a single location at a single station on the bagging line; the pockets being perfectly open thanks to the device of the invention, it can be placed inside the exact dose of the products 14 ₁ , 14 ₂ , 14 ₃ desired, without risk of overflow, each pocket being predetermined in its dimensions to be able contain said dose;
• then seal 15 said edges 35 of the opening to close each pocket 2, and then evacuate 16 all of the bags 1 comprising said three pockets 2 of the example shown, with each filled as appropriate, with a product different 14 ₁ , 14 ₂ , 14 ₃ .

To ensure the simultaneous opening 40 of the three pockets of each bag 1 and guarantee a volume of each of the pockets allowing receive the desired dose 14 of product to be filled, which must being able to settle there by gravity without being able itself to deform the walls of said pockets, there are 13 at least as many pairs of suction cups 12 on either side of said strip 5 than pockets 2 constituting each independent bag: said suction cups 12 are mounted at the end of arms 32 movable relative to fixed guides 21, which fixed guides each associated with a movable arm and arranged with a same side of the strip 5, form a divergent angle two by two, of which the opening α is oriented facing the plane defined by said strip 5, so that each suction cup 12 can be placed against each wall of a pocket 2 of said bag and is able to pull on it to open said pockets, in particular by a suction device 44 creating a depression in the center of each suction cup. Said arms 32 supports these are mounted on guide supports 17 integral with lever supports 20 which, when you push them aside to simultaneously open the openings 40 of said pockets 2 of the same bag 1, cause the arms 32 along the guides 21: thus the suction cups 12 are brought together which are arranged on the same side of the bag 1, each pulling and thus causing one of the walls of a pocket, so that they follow the deformation of these.

The pockets 2, by opening, will indeed bring their common lateral sides closer to the adjacent pockets of the same bag 1: the suction cups 12, using the device of the invention, following their converging guide 21, will get closer the same. In addition, if the pockets are not of the same width l ₁ and if it is then of course to open the widest further to deposit a larger dose of product, it is necessary to separate the suction cups 12 therefrom, a greater distance than the others: this is possible by having two lever supports 20 as described below, articulated at the end situated on the side of the narrowest pocket 2, and then giving the closest suction cups 12 from their axis of rotation Z ₁ , Z ′ _1, a spacing displacement smaller than those which are the most distant.

In Figure 3, are thus shown in solid lines in top view, in the advancement plan of the bags 1, along the bagging line 43, the closed pockets 2 on which the suction cups 12 are applied to open their walls, and in dotted lines an example of position in the course of opening of these said walls for three pockets of increasing width as one moves away from the axes of rotation Z ₁ , Z ′ ₁ .

Such devices are shown in Figure 2 in view transverse along the plane II, II ′ of FIG. 1.

When the height of the bag pockets 2 is large, for example to receive large doses of products 14, in order to be sure to open the entire volume of the bags for this, two pairs of suction cups 12 are available per bag 2, the second 12 ₂ lower being located between the bottom 34 of said pockets and those 12 ₁ upper ensuring the opening 40 of said pocket: these two sets of pairs of suction cups 12 are each preferably carried in a separate device or head, l '13 ₁ located at the top above the pockets and the other 13 ₂ located at the bottom below them. The mechanisms for opening and moving the suction cups being produced according to the same technical principle as described below: a fixed support block 36 is integral with the assembly of the frame 30 of the machine of the bagging line 43 and door guides 21, fixed, preferably two per suction cup to maintain it in one plane and located one above the other in a plane parallel to the desired displacement of the latter and at angles α, β open towards said bag 1 and as defined above: for three pockets 2 and therefore three pairs of arms 32, said angles α, β formed by these and therefore their guides 21, shown in FIG. 3 are determined as a function of width l of each pocket 2 and therefore of their deformation when they are opened, determining the approximation value of the suction cups required.

From said fixed support block 36, the two lever supports 20 are articulated, either directly for the upper head 13 ₁ around axes Z ₁ , Z ' ₁ , or indirectly by two lever arms 37 driving connecting pieces 38 with a Y axis connected to said lever supports 20 which then pivot and move apart each along an axis Z ₂ Z ₂ 'for the lower head 13 ₂ .

Said lever supports 20 articulated, drive said supports 17 of the suction cup arms 32, by means of rolling rollers 33 which can move in windows 31 ₁ made in said lever supports 20, in the desired direction to follow both the spacing and convergence of the suction cups 32: for this, the guide supports 17 of the suction cup arms slide on said fixed guides 21 which impose on them the angle and the orientation of movement, the levers 20 ensuring the amplitude of said movement.

Other embodiments are possible to obtain the same opening function α of the suction cups 12, such as that not shown, according to which the lever supports 20 drive the end of the arms 32 of suction cups, which are then fixed and articulated there. without sliding or need for windows 31 ₁ ; the fixed guides 21 are themselves made by long windows or notches open in a fixed plate, having the same desired directions as above to obtain the angles α and in which slide fingers fitted with rollers fixed towards the other end suction cup arms 32.

In order to be able to adapt the distances of the arms 32 relative to each other and the amplitude of their movement and their angle, either different devices or heads 13 ₁ , 13 can be produced for each type of bag, or it can be provided a minimum of adjustment of the position of said suction cups 12 relative to their support 17 ₂ such as by windows 39 made in said supports 17, in which said nozzle supports 12 ₂ are blocked by any means of attachment, or it is possible to change and adapt as for the upper assembly 13 ₁ the arms ends 32 of the nozzles which, as in FIG. 3, are bayonet-shaped and whose part parallel to the plane defined by the set of nozzles 12 which is also that walls of the strip 5 before deformation, are more or less long for this.

To allow the simultaneous opening of said levers 20 driving said suction cups 12 exactly when desired during the passage, the presentation and the stopping of a bag 1 between them, control rods 28 are connected to the end of said levers 20, either directly in the case of the example of the upper head 13 ₁ , or indirectly by the set of arms and connecting pieces 37, 38 in the case of the lower head 13 ₂ of FIG. 4; which control rods 28 are for example, according to Figure 2, driven by secondary control levers 27 whose movement is ensured by connecting rods 26, whose reciprocating movement is controlled by a main control lever 24, articulated to one of its ends around an axis A: at its other end, this control lever 24 carries a bearing 23 held in contact by a spring 25 against a cam 22 rotated at the desired speed; such a drive device is perfectly known in different existing bagging lines and can simultaneously ensure the functions of all other workstations, such as those shown in Figure 1, from the same tree cam control 22.

On the upper head 13 ₁ , in order to help the spacing of the walls sucked by the suction cups 12 ₁ , there are preferably arranged as many nozzles 18 as pockets 2 for blowing a gas such as air 19 which, in addition to to help the opening 40, also allows the entire bag to swell and completes the work of the lower suction cups 12 ₂ .

Once said open pockets then filled 14 and sealed 15 at their upper part 35, there is indeed obtained a bag 1 of rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 5, comprising at least two sealed pockets 2, or three as shown, produced in the same continuous strip 5 of flexible material and with double walls, sealed and closed and each containing a product of a given quantity 14 which may be different from that contained in the adjacent pocket of the same sachet 1; said bag thus comprises, according to FIG. 5, three pockets 2 of the same height h, at least two of which 2 ₁ and 2 ₂ are of different width l ₁ , l ₂ , ie l ₁ > l _{2 in} order to receive in the pocket 2 ₁ a product 14 ₁ in quantity greater than that 14 ₂ of the bag 2 ₂ .

Each pocket 2 is connected to the adjacent one by a zone 41 of sealing, preferably comprising a line 42 for pre-cutting. Of such sachets thus produced and shown in FIG. 5 are new and not known to date before the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. Process for forming bags, in which:

   a web (5) of constant and continuous width, made of a supple material with double walls fast with each other by one of their continuous edges (34), is formed;

   the two walls are sealed together (9) perpendicularly to said edge over a zone (41) of sufficient width to be divided into two while keeping on each side of the cut the walls sealed at given intervals to produce bags (2) whose bottom is then constituted by said continuous edge (34) of the web (5);

   said web is cut out (10) along said seals (9) defining bags in order to obtain sachets (1) independent of one another;

   the free edges of each bag located opposite the bottom (34) thereof are opened (40) by at least two suction cups (12) each drawing one of said walls, the sachets (1) are disposed and maintained vertical;

   each bag (2) thus opened is filled (14) with a given liquid, pasty, solid or pulverulent product (14) and said edges of the opening (40) are sealed (15) in order to close each bag (2);
   characterized in that:

   said web (5) is cut out (10) at least every two bags (5) in order to constitute multi-bag sachets (1);

   at least as many pairs of suction cups (12) are disposed (13) on either side of said web (5) as there are bags (2) constituting each independent sachet, which suction cups are mounted at the end of arms (32) mobile with respect to fixed guides (21), which fixed guides disposed on the same side of the web (5) form, two by two, a divergent angle therebetween, of which the aperture α is oriented opposite the plane defined by said web (5), which arms (32) are fast with supports (20) such that, when they are moved apart in order to open the openings (40) of said bags (2) of the same sachet (1) simultaneously, the suction cups that are disposed on the same side of the sachet (1) are brought closer to one another, with each suction cup drawing one of said walls, so that they follow the deformation thereof.
2. Bag-forming process according to Claim 1, characterized in that said web (5) is cut out at least every three bags (2), of which the assembly constitutes an independent sachet (1) and each bag (2) is filled (14) with a product different from the other bags in at the most two filling stations disposed along a bag-forming line (43).
3. Bag-forming process according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that two pairs of suction cups (12) are provided per bag (2), the second (12₂) being located between those (12₁) ensuring opening (40) of said bag (2) and the bottom (34) thereof.
4. Device for opening a sachet (1) of rectangular shape made by two walls of supple material fast on three sides and constituting at least one bag (2), such that it comprises at least two suction cups (12) disposed opposite each other so that they can be placed against each wall of said sachet and adapted to draw thereon, to open (40) the walls at the level of the fourth side not fast with said bag (2), characterized in that it comprises at least two pairs of said suction cups (12) mounted at the end of arms (32) mobile with respect to fixed guides (21), which simultaneously displaceable mobile arms and their associated fixed guides disposed on the same side of the bag (2) form, two by two, a divergent angle therebetween, of which the aperture a is oriented opposite that of the same aperture a formed by the arms (32) disposed on the other side and bearing the suction cups (12) which are opposite theirs'.
5. Opening device according to Claim 4, characterized in that it comprises at least two gas-blowing nozzles (18) oriented in the plane defined by said suction cups (12) connected face to face and each towards a point of contact thereof.
6. Opening device according to Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it comprises two assemblies of pairs of suction cups (12) disposed and mobile in parallel planes, each suction cup (12₂) of the pairs of the second assembly being in the same plane, perpendicular to said parallel planes of mobility, as the suction cup (12₁) of the pair of the first assembly which is associated therewith for the same bag (2).
7. A sachet (1) of rectangular shape constituted in accordance with any one of the processes of Claims 1 to 3, and comprising at least two bags (2) made in the same continuous web (5) of the supple double-walled material, sealed and closed, both walls of each of said bags being fast with each other by at least one of their continuous edges which is that of the fold of the web (5), characterised in that each one of said bags (2) contains, in addition to a gas, a liquid, pasty, solid or pulverulent product in an accurately assayed quantity which is different from that contained in the adjacent bag of the same sachet (1), said bags (2) being of the same height and at least two of them are of different width.
8. Sachet according to Claim 7, characterized in that it comprises at least three bags.
9. Sachet according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that each bag (2) is connected to the adjacent one by a zone (41) of seal comprising a pre-cutout line (42).

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