MXPA97006162A - Packing machine, material and met - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaging machine and a method for loading bags from a novel continuous belt of bags connected by the sides is described. The continuous belt is fed through a bagging section by a stop of main conveyor belts, enmeshes, and a pair of lip conveyor belts, each arranged in the notch of the associated main belt, to trap the bag lips in the belt. notches. Adjustable band openers spacing stretches of the conveyor belts as they move through a loading station, so as to sequentially open the bags to rectangular configurations. A sealing section, in the form of a novel and improved thermal sealant, is releasably connectable to the bagging section. The sections are adjustable together between horizontal and vertical orientations. It also describes procedures to open, close and seal the bags connected laterally.

Description

PACKAGING MATERIAL, MATERIAL AND METHOD This invention relates to packaging machinery and. They are particularly well suited to a packing and packaging machine, which are especially well suited for loading relatively bulky and liquid products, sequentially, in bags of a novel bag chain, laterally connected.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION U.S. Patent 4,969,310, issued November 13, 1990 to Hershey Lerner and co-inventors, under the title "Packing machine and method" and assigned to the successor in title of this patent (the SP patent) describes and claims a packaging machine that had commercial success. One of the main advantages of the SP patent machine lies in the novel conveyor belt mechanism for gripping the lips of bags, which protrude upwards, of a chain, when they are transported along a trajectory of travel and remain in place. registration with a charging station. The firmness with which the lips are grasped makes the machine extremely suitable for packing bulky products that must be introduced into the bags. While the SP patent machine was an advance with respect to the prior art, especially in terms of its lip gripping capacity, even larger lip gripping capabilities would be useful, if obtained, to allow packaging of additional products. . Stated another way, the bag grip strengths of the SP patent machine depended on the clamping pressure applied between pairs of bands. In such a way, although the machine was a definite advance with respect to the technique, with respect to any given size of bags, it has a maximum filling pressure imitates that it can resist without slippage. Since the bowl grip depends on the force with which the pairs of bands are held, the length of the path of travel through the charging station is limited. Thus, the length of a bag along the travel path is limited, it is not possible to load a bag while moving along the path of travel, and the concurrent loading of two or more bags is not available. With the SP patent machine there is an intermittent section including the loading station, and a continuous section including a sealing section. Since the section that includes the loading station is intermittent, obviously the production of the machine is inherently lower than what could be achieved with a loading section that will operate continuously. The SP patent machine has additional advantages over the prior art, including an adjustable bag opening mechanism, which was adapted to accept a wide variety of bowl and adjustable sizes to provide a variety of bag openings. Although it was an advance with respect to the prior art, the bag openings were of six sides, so that, as in most of the prior art, a straight-angled bag opening could not be obtained. While a prior machine provides rectangular openings, the dimensions of the rectangular openings, both longitudinally and transversally, are limited both by the construction of the chain of bags that are being filled, as well as by the guide bars used to transport the bags. Thus, if an operator wishes to change from one opening size to another, a different continuous belt of bags would be required. Furthermore, insofar as the packing machine could be adjusted to vary the configuration of the rectangular opening, said available adjustment was extremely limited, because it required the replacement of a different arrangement of guide bars. Additionally, there was excessive waste of packaging material in the form of elongated tubes that slid along the guide rails. Even when the SP patent has been sold under the designation SP-100V for vertical orientation, in which the products can be loaded by gravity in the bags, and under the designation SP-100H for horizontal loading of refillable products, no machine was suitable to adjust from the horizontal position to the vertical and return, nor for orientation to selected angles of product insertion between horizontal and vertical. A problem has been experienced with prior art senators who have pairs of opposing bands to convey bands through a sealing station. The problem is that too often, due to the weight of the products, there is a slip of bags with respect to the bands, and sometimes of the bag fronts with respect to the back, which results in a bad seal. quality. Alternatively or additionally, too often it is necessary to provide a conveyor or other support for the bags, when they are transported through the sealing station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With the machine of the present invention the described problems of the prior art and others are solved, and an increased variety of available pack sizes is obtained. In its preferred form, the machine has two independently movable carriages, which are selectively interconnected in a rigid manner. One of those cars supports a new and improved bagging section, while the other supports a closing mechanism. The described closing mechanism is a novel and improved sealing section. Because the machine has two separable carriages, other closing carriages that support other closing mechanisms, such as bag fasteners and staples, can be easily used. Each of the sections is mounted rotatoparnent e on s? carriage, so that once the two sections are coupled, they can be rotated together around a horizontal axis to load the product, by gravity and / or sausage, when standing vertically, and by sausage when it is in position horizontal. Advantageously, the two sections can also be oriented in any of a series of angular orientations between the horizontal and the vertical. A main aspect of the machine of the present is that the loading section opens the bags in rectangular configurations. Not only do the bag-loading openings have rectangular configurations, but the transverse and longitudinal dimensions of such openings for any given size of bag are relatively and easily adjustable in wide variation. The machine can be operated either continuously or in intermittent mode, to operator selection. Both sections are operated in the same way. That is, if the loading section is continuous, so will the sealing section, while both work in the intermittent mode at the same time. One of the outstanding advantages of the invention resides in the use of a novel and improved mechanism for gripping the lips projecting upwards from the bags, when they are transported through the loading section. This mechanism uses conveyor belts of a type that is more fully described in a concurrently filed application by Hershey Lerner, entitled "Plastic conveyor system", case of attorney-in-fact 14-160 (the band patent). The band patent is incorporated herein in its entirety as reference. The grip or cooperative action of the lips projecting upwards from the bags and the singular bands is obtained, so that the band clamping mechanisms are neither required nor based on them. For that purpose, a pair of main conveyor belts is provided and, arranged on opposite sides of a continuous belt travel path. In the preferred and described embodiment, each main band has a surface that contacts the lip projecting upwards, with a lip receiving depression centrally located, in terms of the transverse direction, preferably with an arcuate cross section configuration. A pair of lip conveyor belts, of circular cross-section, are raised, respectively, in the depressions of the main conveyor belt, to force the lips of the bag inside the depressions and fix the lips with a clamping power much higher than that of the lips. the one obtained with the previous technique.

Since the grip of the bag lips to support them is achieved through the cooperative action of the bag lips and the conveyor belts, there is essentially no limit to the length of the loading station. It is possible to transport concurrently rather multiple numbers of open bags through the loading station. With a machine operating on a continuous base and a product supply conveyor, synchronized, adjacent to the loading station, it is able to transfer a series of products concurrently to a set of bags of the same number, advancing concurrently the transfer as the bags and transported products advance through the loading station. Another advantage of the elongated charging station is that a series of vibrating feeders can be placed throughout the station. As an example, a first vibrating feeder could deposit a desired number of screws in a bag, in a first location; a second aligner, a similar number of sheaves in a second location downstream of the first, and a third aligner, an equal number of nuts, in a third location, still further downstream; thus eliminating the need for a feed conveyor. With this arrangement, extremely high packing speeds can be achieved. For example, it is possible to load and seal 130 bags of 25.4 cm per minute. The speeds achieved with the present machine are speeds that exceed those that can be obtained with all or virtually all of the machines of the prior art, including the so-called "forming and filling machines" - Another aspect of the invention resides in a novel and improved mechanism to break the frangible interconnections on the adjacent sides of successive bags. Assuming that the machine is in the horizontal, gravity feed mode, this mechanism comprises a band that is passed around spaced pulleys, which are rotatable about respective horizontal axes. The band has projecting pins. The belt pulleys are rotated to synchronously move the belt with the placement of a chain of bags that is being fed through the loading section, to cause one of the pins to break The frangible bag interconnections each time a series of said interconnections is aligned longitudinally with the band. Moving in the downstream direction of the machine to consider other advances, another aspect of the invention is a novel and improved mechanism for adjusting the width of the loading station by varying the spacing between the pairs of main and lip conveyor belts. This adjustment, which is infinite between the maximum and minimum limits, coupled with the novel and improved bag tape, provides a wide scale of available transverse and longitudinal dimensions of rectangular bag openings for any given chain of interconnected bags of similar size. -. When the loaded bags leave the loading station it is convenient to advance the front side edge and retard the rear side edge of each bag of a chain, to bring the inner surfaces of the upper portions of each bag back to an orientation in the that one surface is touched with another, to seal. For that purpose a novel planetary mechanism is provided. This mechanism is driven by the bags themselves to perform the stretching action and to restore the surface-to-surface ratio inside. For larger bags, oppositely directed air jets are used, which are effective in restoring surface-to-surface orientation. In an outlet of the bagging section of the machine, the main conveyor belts leave the bands which, in turn, are on top of the closing section conveyors, so that the closing section picks up the upper surfaces of each bag. loaded, now longitudinally stretched. When the bags are transferred to the bands of the closing section, a rotary blade cuts the bags near their upper ends, so that the lip portions that had been carried by the main conveyor belts are cut off and become recyclable waste. The elevation of the cutter relative to the heat sealant is adjustable, so that the degree to which the upper portions of the bags are cut provides filled bags of suitable dimensions for finished packages of net size and, if desired, tightened. In order to prevent excessive heating of the bags passing through the sealing section and the bands of the sealing section, the thermal source to effect the sealing is diverted away from the loaded bags, and the bands, when the machine ee stops and moves to a location adjacent to the bags when the bags are moving. In such a way, a mechanism is provided to divert the thermal sealant from a seal forming position to a storage and return position, in synchrony with the machine cycles, when in intermittent mode. When the loaded bags pass through the seal section, a series of longitudinally aligned, juxtaposed and individually loaded pressure members act against one of the conveyor belts of the seal section. These pressing members forcibly carry said band against the bags and, consequently, against the other band to forcibly carry, in turn, the other band against a supporting element to maintain the pressure on the upper ends of the bag, when They are transported through the sealing section. Advantageously, unlike a previous machine, of similar construction, Ll is used. individual coil springs for loading the pressure members. The belts used in the eeling section are special, novel and improved bands, which are effective to substantially prevent any slippage of the bags with r-spiked bands, indicated by the weight of the product. The novel bands are also effective to resist longitudinal movement of the front portion and the back portion of each bag, one with respect to the other and with respect to the bands. One provision for preventing this relative slip is to provide webs having corrugated web coupling surfaces, mutually locking the corrugations of one web with the corrugations of the other, to produce a serpentine grip of the front and back portions of each bag. . Additionally, the preferred bands are reinforced polyurethane with metal, to provide increased resistance to the stretching of the band. A mixture of glue and grit can be applied to the surfaces of the sealing bands, in addition, to inhibit the sliding of the bag. A urethane coating is applied over the glue and grit, to complete the improvements provided to prevent slippage of the bag. The bands of the sealing section are driven by a stepper motor, through a positive transmission, so that the stepper motor of the sealer, in synchronization with the stepper motor of the bagger, maintain belt and bag feed speeds, which are consistent throughout the path of travel of the bag, from the supply to the finished package. The lips of the bags projecting from the sealing section conveyor belts are heated by means of an adjoining hot tube sealant having an elongated opening, adjacent to the displacement path of the bag lip. The hot air and the radiation emanating from this sealer make thermal seals of the lips that extend upwards, to complete a series of packages. Because the machine sections, unlike the machine of the SP patent, are continuous or interrupting during the operation of the machine, the successive bags passing through the closing section are juxtaposed instead of spaced apart. This juxtaposition provides improved seal efficiency and increased life of the sealant band. A continuous belt incorporating the present invention is an elongated, flattened thermoplastic tube having front and rear sides, which delineate the front and back portions of a series of frangibly connected bags side by side. The tube includes an elongated upper section, which is divided to form lips that are to be extended and then fixed to the main conveyor belts. The upper section is interconnected to the bags by lines of front and rear weakening, longitudinally endless, which are separated from each lateral edge towards the center of the bag as necessary to obtain the desired rectangular openings. In such a manner, the continuous belt of the present is much simpler and less expensive than the continuous belt of the previous system, which provides rectangular openings of the bags. The invention also comprises a packing method which includes gripping the front and rear lip portions, projecting upwards, between the main and the lip conveyor belts. The bands are then opened as they pass through a loading station, pulling the bag openings to give them rectangular configurations, when the portions of the upper ends of the bag are separated from the upper lip section. After the bag is loaded, upper portions of the inner bag surfaces are returned to bulldozer coupling; a portion of the lip section is cut out of the bag, and the bags are sealed or otherwise closed to complete the packages. Accordingly, it is the objects of this invention to provide a novel and improved packing machine, novel and improved packaging materials, and novel and improved methods for forming packages.

IN THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top-fragmentary plan view of the bagging section of the machine of Fig. 1, and on an enlarged scale with respect to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a shortened, elevational view of the bagging section, as seen from the plane indicated by line 3-3 of Figure L. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the novel and improved continuous bag belt of the present invention, showing sections of the conveyor belts which convey the continuous belt through the loading station, and a novel mechanism for providing separation of the sides of the loaded bags, particularly of a small size. Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the bag flattening mechanism, shown in Figure 4, and on an enlarged scale. Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view, at the scale of Figure 5, showing an alternative arrangement of the mechanism of Figure 5 for flattening bags. Figures 7 and 8 are enlarged sectional views, from the planes indicated respectively by lines 7-7 and 8-8 of Figure 4, which show the main and lip conveyor belts, together with a top-fragmentary portion of the bag, when the bag lips are bent over the main conveyor belts and then caught in the notches of the bag. the main bands. Figure 9 is a sectional view of the bagging or bag pulling mechanism of Figures 4 and 5, as seen from the plane indicated by line 9-9 of Figure 2. Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the The mechanism of Figure 9, as seen from the plane indicated by Line 10-10 of Figure 2. Figure 11 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view of the adjusting mechanism of the separation of the conveyor belt, such as or it is seen from the plane indicated by lines 11-11 of figure 2. Figure 12 is an elevation view of a portion of the machine, as seen from the plane indicated by line 12-12 of the Figure 1, which shows a bag support conveyor below the loading and sealing sections. Figure 13 shows an elevational view of the seal section, on an enlarged scale with respect to that of Figure 12. Figure 14 is an elevational view of the mechanism for maintaining the angular orientation, on an enlarged scale with respect to the other drawings, and as seen from the plane indicated by line 14-14 of figure 12. Figure 15 is an enlarged sectional view of the sealer positioning mechanism and a conveyor ln bag holder, as seen from the plane indicated by lines 15-15 of figure 13. Figure 16 is a sectional view of a continuous ribbon guide, as viewed from the plane indicated by line 16-16 of figure 3. Figure 17 is a sectional view of the lip groove, as seen from the plane indicated by line 17-17 of figure 3. Figure 18 is a view in enlarged plant of a force application element and a fragmentary plan view of the sealant bands. Figure 19 is a fragmentary, enlarged plan view of a transfer location between the embossing and closing processes, including a blade for trimming the upper ends of the loaded bags, before closing them. Figure 20 is another enlarged sectional view of the structure of Figure 19, as viewed from the plane indicated by line 20-20 of Figure 19. Figure 21 is another further enlarged view of the blade and its mechanism height adjuster, as viewed from the plane indicated by line 21-21 of Figure 20. Figure 22 is a plan view of an alternative and preferred sealer for the closure section; and Figure 23 is an elevational view of the sealer of Figure 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY The machine in general With reference to figures 1 and 4, ee provides a continuous belt 15 of bags connected by the sides. The continuous belt 15 is fed from a supply, schematically shown at 16, to a swabbing section 17. The pouch section 17 is detachably connected to a sealing section 19. The embossing and sealing sections include, respectively, trolleys 20, 21 supported, provided with wheels. The supporting carriages 20, 21 include, respectively, supporting frames for supporting the mechanisms of the bag and sealant. In the drawings, the bagging and sealing mechanisms are shown in their vertical orientations to load by gravity. The machine will be described in that orientation, but it will be recognized that, as described more fully in Section IV, the mechanisms can be laid out in a horizontal orientation and in other angular orientations.

II. The tape continues 15 The continuous belt 15 is a flattened, elongated plastic tube, typically formed of polyethylene. The tube includes an upper section 23 for feeding it along a mandrel 24, figures 4 and 16. The upper section 23 is connected to the upper ends of a chain of bags 25 connected at the sides, by lines of frontal and posterior weakening -, in the form of perforations 27, 28. The frangible connections 30 are connected, adjacent to the sidewall edges, figures 3 and 4. Each bag 25 includes a front portion 31 and a posterior portion 32, interconnected in a bottom. 33, by means of one selected from a fold or seal. The side seals adjacent the interconnections 30, delineate the sides of the boolees 25. The fronts and the backs 31, 32 of the bags are respectively connected to the upper sections 23 by means of the weakening lines 27, 28, such that the upper section 23, when the continuous belt is flattened, is essentially a pipe.

III. The embolizing section 17 A. A portion 35 feeder and bag preparation The continuous belt 15 is fed from the supply 16 to a bag feeder and feeder portion 35, of the bagger section 17. The feed is made on the mandrel 24 and beyond a cutter-36, figure 4. The cutter 36 separates. the upper section 23 to the opposite face and back lips 38, 39. The feed through the feeder portion 35 and the bag preparation is L9 carried out by means of a pair of opposite endless main conveyor belts, 40, 41, supported by sets of pulleys 42, 43, which rotate oppositely. The main bands 40, 41 are driven by a progressive advancing engine, figure 3, by means of toothed pulleys 42T, 43T, of the sets 42, 43. Other of the pulleys 42S, 43S are spring-loaded by the springs S, figure 2, to tension the bands. This is provided with slot 45 and is shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 17. For clarity of illustration, the cutter and the slotter have been omitted in FIG. 1. The slot is placed a short distance upstream of the slot. a roller cam 46. When the lips are carried along the main conveyor belts 40, 41, the lips 38, 39 are bent, respectively, on the upper bag, which makes contact with the surfaces 40S, 41S, of the main conveyor belts, under the action of ranger 45, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Once the lips are bent over the upper ends of the main conveyor belts 40, 41, the roller cam 46 presses. the conveyor belts and lip fasteners 48, 49, endless, within the complementary notches 51, 52, in the main conveyor belts 41, 42, respectively. Thus, the notches 51, 52 function as or bag-gripping surfaces, which are complementary to the gripping bands 48, 49. More specifically, the gripping bands are of circular cross-section, while the notches 51, 52 are segments of circles, of somewhat more than 180 ° extension. The lightening of the gripping bands within the notches traps the lips 38, 39 between the gripping bands and Lae rn? eecae. The lips, due to their joint action with the bands, are able to resist substantial filling forces, when the products are forced into the bags, in a loading station 60. The sections of the gripping bands that are not in the grooves 51, 52, are passed around a series of pulleys 50 of the lip conveyor. A bag-side separator mechanism 53 provides a breaker station for the connection of the bags. The separating mechanism 53 includes an endless band 54 that is passed around a pair of spaced pulleys 55, to provide clearings that, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, are vertical. The pulleys 55 are driven by an engine 57, figure 2. When the belt is driven, the break pins 58, which project from the belt 54, pass between the adjacent sides of the bags to break the frangible interconnects 30. such a way, when the bags leave the feed portion 35 and bag preparation, they are separated one from the other, but remain connected to the lips 38, 39.

B. The charging station 60.

The charging station 60 includes a pair of parallel band openers 61, 62, which are mirror images. As best seen in Figure 11, the band openers include, respectively, channels 63, 64. Channels 63, 64, respectively, guide the main conveyor belts 40, 41 on each side of the loading station 60. When The bands 40 and 41 are in the channels 63, 64, as clearly seen in Figures 4 and 11, the bags 25 are stretched between the bands in a rectangular top opening configuration. A schematic representation of a supply funnel 66 is included in Figure 4. As suggested by that figure, the products that are going to be packed are deposited through the rectangular bag openings, each time a bag is left in place. register with the supply funnel, at the loading station. A space-adjusting mechanism is provided. This mechanism includes a spaced pair of set screws 68, 69, Figure 2. The set screws 68, 69 are centrally supported by respective bearings 70, 71. The screws have opposite threaded sections on each side of their bearings 70, 71, which are threadably coupled with the band openers 61, 62. The rotation of a crank 72 causes rotation of the adjusting screw 69. The screw 690 11 It is connected to the screw 68 by means of bands or chains 73, which function to transmit rotational forces, so that when the handle is operated, the screws 68, 69 move in the same way to force the openers equally to a spatial relationship. tight, pore still par-alela. When the openers are movably adjusted in approach and in mutual distancing, the spring-loaded pulleys 42S, 43S maintain the tension on the main conveyor belts 40, 41, at the same time allowing the relative movement of the gaps of the bands passing through the opener channels 63, 64. Similarly, the spring-loaded, belt-loaded SOS pulleys maintain tension on the gripping bands 48, 49. The spring-loaded pulleys of both j? Egoe are the pulleys seen to the right of Figure 2, that is, the extreme input pulleys in the feed portion 35 and bag preparation. The main transport pulley sets 42, 43 include two idler pulleys 75, 76, downstream of the loading station 60. The idler pulleys 75, 76 are at a relatively small gap to return the main conveyors 40, 41, up to the relation mutually juxtaposed, after they leave the loading station 60.

C. Stretching the bag When the loaded bags leave the loading station, it is convenient to return the upper portions of the faces and backs of the bag to juxtaposition. To facilitate this return with small bags, a new and improved planetary extruder 90 is provided. This planetary bag stretcher is best understood by reference to FIGS. 5, 9 and 10. The actuator 90 includes a supporting shaft arrow 92, mounted on frame members 94 of the bagger section, FIG. 10. The planetary styler includes an element 95 coupler with the trailing edge of the bag. Element 95 includes six fingers 96 of engagement with the bag. As seen best in FIGS. 4 and 5, one of these fingers 96 is shown to be driving one of the bags 25, while the next finger is moving toward the next bag on the line, when the next bag leaves the station. car-ga 60. When the bags move from right to left, when seen in Figure 5, an inner annular gear portion 100 drives a planetary gear 102. The planetary gear orbits in a fixed sun gear 104. The planetary gear is rotatably supported on, and is carried by, a coupling element 105 with the leading edge, rotatably supported on the arrow 92. The coupling element 105 with the leading edge has four fingers 105, which? 4 the speed of the fingers 96 orbit at one and a half voices. The rotation of the coupling element with the leading edge causes one of the fingers 106 to enter the next bag, when it leaves the charging station and engages with a leading edge 108 of the bag, thereby stretching the bag until the upper portions of the front and back of the bag are brought to juxtaposition. For large bags, this stretch of the now loaded puffs, when they leave the charging station, is obtained with air jets coming from nozzles 110, 112, which blow, respectively, against the front and rear edges of the bag, thus stretching the bags from their rectangular orientation to a juxtaposed relationship of the front with the rear, when the conveyor belts are returned to juxtaposition.

D. A transfer location After the loaded bags have left the loading station 60 and the front and back of each bag have been brought to juxtaposition, the loaded bags are transferred to the closing section 19, at a transfer location 114. The conveyors of outlet 115, 116 are left under the main conveyor belts 40, 41 at an exit end of the bagging section 17. The loaded bags are transferred from the main conveyor belts to the exit conveyors. The output binders, in turn, transfer the loaded bags to conveyor belts 118, 119 of the closing section. Referring to Figures 19-21, a rotary blade 120 is located a short distance downstream of the exit conveyors. The blade is mounted rotatably on a tube externally or externally threaded. The tube, in turn, is threadedly connected with a K-section of the blade support frame. An adjustment bolt J23 is carried slidable by the frame section K. When the bolt 123 is in the position shown in solid lines in Figure 21, it engages with a selected one of a plurality of recesses R on the perimeter of the supporting tube 121, for fixing the blade in a height-adjusted position. When the bolt 123 slides to the dotted line position of Figure 21, the tube 121 can be rotated to adjust the vertical location of the blade 120. The blade 120 is driven by a motor 122 to cut the portions 38, 39 of the bag lip, leaving only the closing portions of the lip portions to form the closure, in the described arrangement, by thermal seal. The trimmed plastic waste 124, FIG. 12, of the separated lip portions is removed from the machine with a conventional mechanism, not shown, and subsequently recycled.

IV. The closing section 19 As best seen in FIG. 1, the novel and improved sealant includes a plurality of independently applied force-applying elements 125. One of the force elements is shown on a larger scale in FIG. 18. The force elements 125 are slidably coupled with the outer surface of a race 126 engaging with the bag, of the conveyor belt 119. The springs 128 they load the elements 125 so that they hold the front and back portions of the bag together against a cooperating action race 130 of the conveyor belt 118. A support 132 slidably engages with the cooperating action race 130 to resist the force of the elements application 125, spring loaded. The step drive motor 134, FIG. 1, is connected to the conveyor belts 118, 119 of the closing section, to operate synchronously with the stepped or stepper motor 44 of the bagger section, whether intermittent or continually. As best seen in Figures 13 and 15, a heating tube 135 is provided. A heating element 136, Figure 15, is disposed within the tube to provide heat to melt the lips of the bag that extend upwardly when the heater tube 135 is in the shown pore in solid lines in Figure 13. The heat transfer to the lips it is carried out both by radiation and by convection through an elongated slot 135S at the bottom of the tube. The heating tube 135 is connected to a pair of supports 137, 138. When the bags 25 are vertical, the heating tube 135 is suspended by the supports 137, 138. The supports, in turn, are pivotally connected to and supported by , a pair of cranks 140, 142. The cranks 140, 142 are supported pivotally by a section of the frame of the sealing carriage 21. The cranks 140, 142 are interconnected by a bar-ra 144 which, in turn, it is driven by an air cylinder 145. The air cylinder 145 is interposed between the carriage frame and the bar 144. The reciprocal movement of the air cylinder is effective to return the heating tube-between its seal position, shown in lines solid, and a storage position, shown in dotted, figure 13. When the conveyor belts 118, 119 are operating to transport bags through the closing section, the sealant is down, whereas whenever they are stopped In the machine, does the sealant move to s? storage or stippling position, shown in Figure 13. As seen better in Figure 18, the adjacent runs 126, 130 of the sealer conveyors 118, 119 have surfaces that are corrugated and mutually mutually adjusted. These corrugations of mutual adjustment provide both increased grip of the bag as greater grip power and greater resistance to the relative longitudinal movement of the races, as well as the fronts and the rear parts of the bag. The grip and holding power of the bands is further increased by coating the bands with a slurry of glue and sand and applying over the polyethylene revetment, to further increase the functional grip of the bands on the bags. that are being transported. The combined effects of the belt and liner corrugations substantially prevent slipping of the bags due to the weight they contain.

V. Interconnection and Adjustments of Section A. Interconnection of section The bagging and closing sections 17, 19 are physically interconnected when in use. In the described arrangement this interconnection includes a pair of latch rods 150. The latch rods which are detachably located in the openings 151, 152 formed in the protuberances 154, 155, respectively, project from the frames of the bagging and sealing stations. 17, 19. B. Angular positioning As indicated, the bagging and closing sections are adjustable to horizontal or vertical orientations, as well as to angular orientations between the horizontal and The bagger section 17 is rotatably supported on a pair of stubs, one of which is shown at 157 in FIG. 3. As best seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, the ejector section 19 is rotatably supported on the carriage. 21, by means of trunnions spaced 170, 172. The trunnions 157, 170 and 172 are aligned axially. The end stump 170, which is seen to the left in FIGS. 12 and 13, is associated with an angular position maintainer. The maintainer includes a plate 174 with openings, secured to and forming part of the carriage frame 21, FIG. 14. The plate 174 includes a series of openings 175, spaced at 15 ° intervals to provide angular adjustments by 15 ° increments. each, between the horizontal and vertical orientations of the machine. Each of the openings 175 may be selectively aligned with an opening in a plate 176 of the sealing section. A pin, in the form of a pin 178, projects through aligned openings to secure the sealing section and the interconnected bagger section in a selected angular orientation.

SAW. A transporter with eopor-te While it is usually not necessary for the bottom of the bags 25 to be fed as they pass through the bagger section 17, a conventional carrier 160 may be provided, see Figure 3. More often, a low carrier 162 will be provided. the closing section-a 19. In any case, adequate height adjuster and securing device is provided, to position the conveyors 160, 162 in an appropriate position to support the weight of the loaded bags that are being processed into packages.

VII The preferred sealer With reference to Figures 22 and 23, the preferred sealant for the closing mechanism is described. The sealant includes an air manifold 180 for receiving air from a blower 182. In an experimental prototype, a variable pressure blower of 141.58 liters / second was used to determine optimum air flows and pressures. The manifold 180 has three pairs of oppositely arranged outputs 184, 185, 186. Each outlet is connected to an associated flexible tube of six flexible tubes 188. The tubes, a s? once, they are connected to pairs of t-shaped sealing units, arranged oppositely, 190, 191, 192, to connect them, respectively, to the outputs 134, 185, 186. The t-shaped senate units include, respectively, tubular arms. 190L, 191L, 192L, which extend substantially downwardly from their respective connections to the hoses 188, to horizontal air outlet sections 190H, 191H, 192H. The exit sections are closely spaced apart, aligned axially, and are cylindrical tubes that collectively define a pair of rnecanisrnoe elongated heaters, arranged on opposite sides of an imaginary vertical plane passing through the path of travel of the bag loaded. Each horizontal outlet section includes an elongated slot for directing an air flow that originates in the blower 182, above the bag lips projecting upwards, which are to be sealed. Each of the arms 1.91, 192 of the sealing unit houses a heating-associated element of a type normally used in a toaster. A) Yes, the air flowing through the units in the form of t 191, 192 is heated and the escaping hot air effects the seal of the lips projecting upwards from the bag. The air flowing through the units 190 is not heated, but rather provides cooling air to accelerate the solidification of the seals that are being formed. The t-shaped sealing units 190, 191, 192 are respectively connected to the bar 144 for raising and lowering by actuation of the air cylinder 145 in the same manner and for the same purpose as described with respect to the embodiment of the Figures 12 and 13. Another singular aspect of the embodiment of Figures 22 and 23 is a vertical adjustment mechanism, indicated generally in 194. The vertical adjustment 194 allows adjusting the inclination of the horizontal sections of the t-shaped units. -192, in such a way that the output of 191H is lower than that of 192H. This downward tilt of the heating mechanism on the direction of displacement of the bag ensures the optimum location of the hot air being blown on the plastic. The location is optimal because, when the plastic is founded, it is pushed down, lowering the optimal location for the direction of hot air. Additionally, the cooling air is directed from the unit 190 onto the flange or seam now formed.

VIII. The performance The carriages 20, 21 are provided independently of wheeling in a desired location. The two eons are then physically interconnected, by inserting the latch rods 150 into the openings 151, 152. Assuming that the bagger and the sealant are in a vertical orientation, the relative heights of the conveyors of the bagger section and the closing section ee adjust as well as the height of the blade 120.

If the angular orientation of the machines is to be adjusted, the ernus (s) 178 is removed and the bagging and sealing section is rotated about the axis of the trunnions 157, 170, 72 at a desired orientation. After rotation, the bolt (s) is reinserted to fix the mechanism in its desired angular orientation. A continuous belt 15 of bags 25 is then fed through the bagger and seller, intermittently operating the doe. The transverse separation of the main conveyor belts 40, 41 is adjusted by rotating the crank 72 until the loading station 60 has the desired transverse dimension. A control, not shown, is set to provide a desired feed rate and the operation selected between continuous or intermittent. Assuming continuous operation, the feed rate can be up to 130 bags of 25.4 c per minute. Once the machine is in operation, the upper section 21 of the continuous belt 15 is fed along the mandrel 24 and is slotted by the router 36. This forms the lips 38, 39 which are bent on the main conveyor belts 41, 42, by means of the action of the raiser 45. The lip fastening bands 48, 49 descend from the elevated and spring-loaded pulleys 50S, as shown in Figure 3. The cam of rollers 46 lifts the fastening bands 48, 49, respectively, within the depressions of conveyor belt-a 51, 52, to provide very positive and firm support for the bags, when they are to be * processed further. When the successive side connections 30 of the bags are in register with the bag side spacer 53, the motor 55 is operated to drive the band 54 and cause the p > breaker grills 58 break lae lateral connections 30. As the adjacent runs of the conveyor belts 41, 42 advance downstream of the supply portion 35 and bag preparation 35, the bags are opened under the action of the band openers 61, 62. When the bands are opened, the lips 38, 39 cause the front and rear faces 31, 32, adjacent to the front edge of each bag, to separate from the lips 38, 39, tearing a sufficient length of the perforations between them, to allow that the leading edge is at the midpoint in a pocket extension between the bands, when the bag passes longitudinally through the loading station.60. Similarly, the perforations adjacent to the trailing edge are torn when the back of the bag is opened until the bag reaches a total rectangular opening, as shown in particular in Figure 4. A product is then inserted into the bag. rectangular, as indicated schematically in figures 3 and 4. Although the schematic representation is of discrete fasteners, it should be recognized that this machine and this seven are well suited to pack liquids and bulky products, which must be introduced or sausages in a bag, such as a pantyhose and rectangular items, such as sponges for domestic use. After the product has been inserted, the adjacent strokes of the conveyor belts are brought back together and the upper ends of the loaded bag are opened longitudinally of the travel path, already by means of the planetary sterilizer 90 or by opposing air streams from the nozzles 110, 112. As best seen in FIG. 3, the output pulleys 50E of the lip band pulley set are spaced from the main conveyor belt and are rotatable about angular axes. Expressed more precisely, when the machine is in a vertical orientation, the pulleys 50E are above the main conveyor belt, so that the lip conveyors are urged from the slots 51, 52. The already loaded bags pass through. through the transfer location on the exit conveyors 115, 116 and, from there, to the conveyors 118, 119 of the sealing station. In this joint the burr 124 of the loaded bags is cut by the action of the blade 120. When the bags are advanced through the sealing section, the heating tube 135 is maintained in its low position, of solid lines, in Figures 12, 13 and 15. If the machine is operated in its intermittent mode, the cylinder 145 is carried through the cycle in coordination with the starts and stops of the intermittently operated machine to move the heating tube 135 between its position of seal, of solid lines, and its storage position, shown in dotted form in figure 13. While the invention has been described in its preferred form, with some detail, it should be understood that the present description of the preferred form only It has given as an example and can make use of numerous changes in the details of construction, operation, and the combination and disposition of the parties, without leaving the spirit and scope of the such as is claimed in what follows.

Claims (69)

3 ? NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A packing machine for loading bags of a continuous ribbon of bags connected by the sides, characterized in that it comprises: (a) a frame structure; (b) a bag feeding and preparation mechanism, carried by the frame structure, to pull < a continuous belt of bags connected from the sides, from a supply, and feed the belt continuously along an entrance to a travel path; (c) the feeding and preparation mechanism includes: (i) a pair of main conveyor belts, enmeshed, supported on the frame structure, and delineating a loading station section of the travel path; (n) opener structure to open the pouch lips that protrude upward; and di) a pair of lip bending grooves for bending the open, opposite lips and respectively on the main conveyor belts; (d) a pair of lip conveyor belts, each of which is associated with a different band of the main bands, for arranging cooperative action in the notch of the associated main band, for trapping said lips in the notches and, in this way, fix the lips in the notches; (e) a cam mechanism, carried by the frame and arranged to raise the Lip bands to their respective associated notches; (f) conveyor belt openers, ajuetablee, interposed between the transport bands of each pair, to open and space the stretches of the conveyor belts as they move through the loading station, in order to sequentially open the bags to rec angular configurations, as they move through the charging station; and (g) a pair of sets of pulley structures, which rotate oppositely, carried by the frame structure; each of the series cooperates with a different and associated band of the main conveyor belts to rotate the belts from the low separation relationship, near the preparation mechanism, through the loading station, in spaced relation and return to the low separation relationship, downstream of the loading station.

2. The machine according to claim 1, further characterized in that it additionally includes a divider that forms part of the supply and preparation mechanism, and that is located along the path, upstream of the opening structure.

3. The machine according to claim 1, further characterized in that it additionally includes a pair of opposed output conveyors, for gripping the loaded bags when passing from a portion of the travel path delineated by the main conveyor belts, and when the Loaded bags are separated from a lip strip.

4. The machine according to claim 3, further characterized in that each one of the output receivers is in a triaxposing relationship with an associated band of the main conveyor belts.

5.- The mechanism in accordance with the claim 1, further characterized in that the band openers comprise a spaced pair of elongated guides which engage with the band, and a space-adjusting mechanism, operably connected to the guides.

6. The conformity machine with the reiication 5, also characterized in that the guides are elongated channels.

7"- The machine in accordance with the rei indication 5, further characterized in that the space-adjusting mechanism comprises a pair of elongated screws, each of which has a pair of oppositely threaded sections; one section of each screw is threadably engaged with a guide and the other section of each screw is threadably engaged with the other guide, so that, when the screws are rotated, the guides are selectively movable in approach and in distance one with respect to to the other.

8. The machine according to claim 1, further characterized in that the cam mechanism is a roller.

9. The machine according to claim 1, further characterized in that the components of the sections (b) to (g) are mounted rotationally to rotate as a unit about a longitudinal axis, p >; to allow adjustment of the orientation of the charging station.

10. The machine in accordance with the claim 9, further characterized in that a position fixing mechanism is interposed between the frame structure and the unit.

11.- The machine in accordance with the reiviication 10, further characterized in that the position fixing mechanism includes a pair of plates with openings, rotatably supported for relative rotation, and a pair of pins to project through a selectively aligned pair of plate openings.

12. A method for leaving ready bags to pack products, characterized in that it comprises. (a) feeding an elongated contiguous ribbon of bags arranged side by side, along a path of travel; (b) separating the lateral connections between the adjacent bags, at the same time maintaining the connections between the bags and an elongated lip section; (c) successively opening the front and back faces of each of the bags, grasping a pair of elongated Lip strips, comprising the lip section; and (d) separating the spaced lateral portions of each of the bag faces, from the strips when the strips are opened in spacing, thereby establishing successively, in each of said bags, a loading opening of rectangular configuration.

13. The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that it further includes the steps of: 8a) successively loading products into each open bag; (b) separating each loaded bag from the lip section; and (c) closing each loaded bag to form a package.

14. The method according to claim 13, further characterized in that it additionally includes, at least as regards some of the loaded bags: apply opening forces to the lateral connections spaced between the front and rear faces. of the bag, to help the closing step of the bag.

15. The method according to claim 13, further characterized in that the closing step includes passing each loaded bag beyond a thermal sealant.

16. The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that it further includes the step of adjusting the width at which each bag is opened.

17. A method of stretching and juxtaposing the front and back portions of a bag to facilitate bag closure when the bag and a bag eetirador move relatively along a path of travel, characterized in that it comprises: ( a) coupling a rear part of the bag, with a first finger projection forming a portion of a first stretching element; 8b) by means of an interconnection of the first stretching element with a second stretching element, carrying a second finger projection, which forms a portion of the second element, until coupling with a front part of the bag; and (c) subsequently relatively moving the finger elements to open the parts of the bag and bringing said bag portions into a stretched, substantially juxtaposed relationship.

18. The method according to claim 17, further characterized in that it includes the step of moving a third projection of finger, which is part of the first stretching element, into another bag, when said bags of bag are stretched.

19. The method according to claim 17, further characterized in that the relative movement of the finger elements is caused by the movement of the bag along the path of travel.

20. The method according to claim 17, further characterized in that the interconnection includes a pair of annular gears, each of which engages a planet gear.

21. The method according to claim 17, further characterized in that the finger projections are orbited to effect the relative movement.

22. - The method according to claim 21, further characterized by the second finger projection orbit at a faster speed than the first.

23. The method according to claim 22, further characterized in that the fast speed of the second projection is one and a half times the speed of the first projection.

24. A mechanism for sequentially tensioning the laterally spaced side connections of the bore, as the bags are sequentially transported along a path of travel, said mechanism characterized by comprising: (a) first and second finger elements; (b) structure that rotatably supports the torque elements in rotation about a common axis of rotation; (c) one of the elements includes an annular gear; (d) a planet gear rotatably mounted on the other of the elements, and which engages with the annular gear in such a way that the rotation of the first element causes the rotation of the second element at a speed of rotation with respect to the first element, which it is a proportional speed in relation to the rotation of the first element, equal to the gear ratio of the annular and planet gears; (e) each of the elements includes a series of fingers that extend outward; and (f) the number of fingers in a series is greater than the number of fingers in the other series.

25. - The mechanism according to claim 24, further characterized in that said first series includes one and sometimes times more fingers than the other series.

26.- The mechanism according to claim 24, further characterized in that each of the fingers has an "L" shape, with a coupling end with the bag, which has a radius.

27.- The mechanism of compliance with the r-e? V? 26, further characterized in that the arms of the "L" shaped fingers of one series extend in a circumferential direction and the arms of the "L" shaped fingers of the other series extend in a circumferential direction opposite.

28. The mechanism according to claim 24, further characterized p > or that the elements are rotatably supported on a common arrow.

29.- A continuous packing tape, characterized in that it comprises: (a) a flattened, elongated plastic tube, having front and rear sides, which delineate the front and rear portions of a series of bag portions disposed side with side; (b) the flattened tube includes a bag bottom structure which interconnects the faces and backs of the bags and which delineate the bottoms of the bag portions disposed side by side; (c) the bottom structure is a selected one of a fold and a seal; (d) the tube including an elongated upper section; (e) a spaced series of side seals, each of which extends transversely with respect to the lower section, to a location close to the upper section; the side seals of each series delineate the side of an adjacent pair of bag portions, so that the sides and bottoms delineate the perimeters of a series of bags with the upper extrusion open; (f) the upper section is essentially a tube for providing bag support when the continuous belt is fed into a bag-loading machine; (g) The upper section is adapted to be divided and forms a pair of bag-supporting lips, when fed. The belt continues along a path of travel to and through a bag-loading station; and (h) the continuous web includes elongated, overlapping weakening lines on each of the front and rear sides, which delineate an extrusion above each of the bags and lines of demarcation between the bags and the upper section.

30. The continuous tape according to claim 29, further characterized by frangible connections between the side seals of each series.

31.- A continuous tape for packaging, to sequentially produce individual packages, characterized by-comprising: (a) a pair of elongated, spaced lip strips; (b) a plurality of bags arranged in side-by-side relationship; (c) each bag has a face with a top-connected to one of the strips and a back with an upper end-connected to the other of the strips; said strips being disconnected, so that the ras are respective extensions of the faces and of the postepores parts; (d) the connections from strip to face and from one to the back, respectively, are formed by weakening lines that allow easy separation of the pouches from the chutes; (e) the upper connections of one of the bags are connected only to spaced sections of the strips, such that only a central portion of the upper end of the face of the bag is connected to the section of the first strip, and only a central portion of the upper end of the rear part of the first bag is connected to the section of the other strip; (f) the upper ends of said bag each include a pair spaced from side portions on opposite sides of the central portion of the same upper extrusion; the side portions of the strips being disconnected; (g) the central portions are spaced apart with their respective sections connected to define front and a rear part of an opening for filling the bag; (h) one of the front side portions and one of the rear side portions of said bag define together a first side of the filling opening; e (i) the other of the front and side portions of said bag defines a second side of the filling opening.

32. The tape continues in accordance with claim 31, further characterized in that the filling opening is rectangular.

33. The continuous tape according to claim 31, further characterized in that said portions of one side and said portions of the other side are stretched between the sections, respectively, each essentially to a flat condition.

34.- A packing machine, characterized by-comprising: (a) a pair of support cars with wheels; (b) one of the carriages supports a pocketing mechanism; (c) the other of the cars supports a closing mechanism; (d) interconnector structure having a section carried by the first carriage and another section carried by the other carriage; (e) the sections have an interconnected position that secures the carriages together with the mechanisms placed in such a way that they act cooperatively to load and close the bags to form packages; and (f) sections that have a disconnected position allow independent movement of the carriages.

35.- The machine according to claim 34, further characterized in that the mechanisms are mounted rotatably on the carriages and are movable between relatively erect and angled positions.

36.- The machine according to claim 35, further characterized in that the angled position is a horizontal position.

37.- The machine according to claim 35, further characterized in that the mechanisms are movable at least one intermediate position between the positions r-elat ively erect and angled.

38.- The machine according to claim 35, characterized in that a position fixing device is interposed between one of the carriages and the mechanism supported by the device.

39.- The machine according to claim 38, further characterized in that the position fixing device includes a pair of plate with openings, rotatably supported for relative rotation, and a pin for projecting through a pair of plate openings , selectively aligned.

40.- The machine according to claim 34, further characterized in that the relatively upright position is a vertical position.

41.- The machine in accordance with the claim 34, further characterized in that the sections are protuberances with openings and a pin extends through the protrusion openings to complete the interconnection.

42.- The machine in accordance with the claim 34, further characterized in that the closure section includes a thermal sealant.

43.- A packaging machine, characterized in that it comprises: (a) a pair of supporting frame structures; (b) one of the structures supports a bagger; (c) the other structure supports a closing mechanism; (d) interconnector mechanism that has a section carried by the first structure and another section carried by the other structure; (e) the sections have an interconnected position which secures the structures together with the bagger and the closing mechanism in the form of cooperating action, arranged to load and seal the bags to form packages; and (f) the sections have a disconnected position that allows independent movement of the structures.

44.- The machine in accordance with the reivi 43, further characterized in that the bagger- and closure mechanism are mounted rotatably on the structures and are movable between relatively erect and angled positions.

45.- The machine in accordance with the claim 44, further characterized in that the angled position is a horizontal position.

46. The machine according to claim 44, further characterized in that the closing mechanism and the bagger are movable at least to an intermediate position between the relatively erect and angled positions.

47.- The machine in accordance with the claim 44, further characterized because the relatively upright position is a vertical poem.

48.- The machine in accordance with the claim 44, further characterized in that a positioning device is positioned between one of the carriages and the selected mechanism of the bagger and the mechanism of the roller, supported by said carriage.

49.- The machine according to claim 48, further characterized in that a positioning device includes a pair of plates with openings, rotatably supported for relative rotation, and a palette for projecting through a pair of plate openings, aligned ee1ec11varne you.

50.- In a machine for use in packing products in bags of a continuous ribbon of previously opened bags, connected by the sides, an improved mechanism for breaking the frangible lateral connection between the sides of the adjacent bags in the continuous belt; characterized said mechanism by comprising: (a) an endless band; (b) structure supporting the band, including a transmission for advancing the band along a path when a series of said frangible connections is disposed at a location at which said connections are broken; and (c) at least one connection breaker projecting outward from the band.

51.- The rnecamemo according to claim 50, characterized in that there is a plurality of said breakers and each of the breakers is an elongated pin.

52. The mechanism according to claim 51, further characterized in that the structure includes a pair of pulleys and the path includes a clear that is parallel to the location.

53.- The mechanism according to claim 50, further characterized because the structure includes a pair of pulleys and the trajectory includes a clearing that is parallel to the location ..

54.- The mechanism of co-formation with the claim 50, further characterized in that a synchronizing means is operably connected to the transmission to synchronize the advance of the band with the placement of the connection series in the location.

55.- A sealing machine for sealing plastic bags loaded to form packaging, characterized in that it comprises: (a) a frame structure; (b) A pair of opposing conveyor belts, carried by the structure and having complementary sealing portions that establish a displacement path for the loaded bags, through an eel station; (c) a heater-supported by the structure and disposed adjacent to the trajectory; the heater being adapted to melt pairs of bag lips projecting from the complementary portions, each molten pair of lips having a seal for a loaded bag; (d) the bands include means preventing slippage, to prevent relative longitudinal movement of fronts and backs of bags, when the c.2 bags move along the t rayectopa.

56.- The machine according to claim 55, further characterized in that a heater support is interposed between the structure and the heater, to return the heater between a sealing position, close to the path, and a storage position, spaced from the trajectory.

57.- The machine according to claim '56, characterized in that there is a conveyor transfer- and a control connected to the transmission and the support, to make the support stand on s? Eel position when the transmission is operating to move the bags along the path, and to cause the heater to move to its storage position when the operation of the transmission is interrupted.

58.- The machine according to claim 55, further characterized in that the means preventing slippage comprise corrugations of band that mutually lock.

59.- The machine in accordance with the claim 58, further characterized in that the slip preventing means additionally comprise an abrasive material adhered to the surfaces of the bands that engage with the balls.

60.- The machine in accordance with the claim 55, further characterized in that the slip prevention means comprise an abrasive material adhered to the surfaces of the bands which are coupled with the bags.

61.- For use in a bagging machine of the type in which the bags of a chain of bags connected laterally are loaded,? N bag opening adjuster characterized in that it comprises: 8a) a spaced pair of elements, each adapted par- to be coupled with a bag carrying portion of an associated band of a pair of bands; (b) a pair of set screws, each of which has axially aligned, threaded sections oppositely; (c) the similar sections of said sections are threadedly connected, respectively, to band guiding channels, so that, by rotation of both screws in one direction, the separation of the channels will be increased; and by rotation of both screws in the other direction, the separation will decrease; (d) a crank means connected to one of the screws; Y (e) a rotational force transmitter that interconnects the screws, so that by rotation of one of the screws, induced by the crank, the other screw also rotated in the same way.

62. The adjuster according to claim 51, further characterized in that the transmitter is an endless member.

63. The adjuster according to claim 61, further characterized in that the member is a band.

64. The adjuster according to claim 61, further characterized in that the endless member is a chain.

65. A packing machine for loading bags of a continuous ribbon of laterally connected bags, characterized in that it comprises: (a) a frame structure; (b) a bag feeding and preparation mechanism, carried by the frame structure for pulling a continuous belt of laterally connected bags, from a supply and feeding the continuous belt along an inlet to a travel path; (c) the feeding and preparation mechanism includes: (i) a pair of main conveyor belts, supported on the frame structure and which delineate a section of the loading station of the travel path; (n) opening structure for opening the pouch lips that extend upwards; and (m) a lip bending router for bending the opposite open lips and respectively on the main conveyor belts; (d) a pair of lip conveyors, each associated with a different band of the main bands, to act in cooperation with the associated main band to trap said lips between the associated bands; (e) Adjustable conveyor belt openers, interposed between the conveyor belts of each pair of opening and space portions of the conveyor belts, as they move through the loading station, so as to sequentially open the bags to rectangular configurations. , when they pass through the loading station; and (f) a pair of series of pulley structures, which rotate oppositely, carried by the frame structure, each of the senes acts in cooperation with a different and associated band of the main conveyor belts, to rotate the bands from the closely spaced relation, close to the preparation mechanism, through the car-ga station, in spaced relation, and return to the little separated relationship, downstream of the car-ga station.

66.- The machine according to claim 65, further characterized in that it additionally includes a divider forming a part of the supply and preparation mechanism, and that it is located along the path, upstream of the opening structure. .

67.- The machine according to claim 65, further characterized in that it additionally includes a pair of opposed output conveyors, to grip the loaded bags when they pass from a portion of the travel path delineated by the main conveyor belts and when the bags loaded are separ-adae from a lip strip.

68. The machine according to claim 67, characterized in that each of the output conveyors is in overlapping relationship with an associated band of the main conveyor belts.

69. - The mechanism according to claim 65, further characterized in that the band openers comprise a spaced pair of elongated guides that engage the elongated band and an adjuster mechanism operably connected to the guides. 70.- The machine according to claim 69, further characterized in that the guides are elongated channels. 71.- The machine according to claim 69, further characterized in that the space adjusting mechanism comprises a pair of elongated screws, each of which has a pair of opposite threaded sections; one section of each screw is carefully coupled with one guide, and the other section of each screw is threadably engaged with the other guide, so that when the screws are rotated, the guides are selectively movable in approach and away from one of the screws. other. 72.- The mechanism of compliance with the r-e? V? No. 65, further characterized in that the components of sections (b) to (f) are rotatably mounted as a unit to adjust the orientation of the charging station. 73.- The machine according to claim 72, further characterized in that the position fixing mechanism is interposed between the frame structure and the unit. 74.- The machine according to claim 73, further characterized in that the position fixing mechanism includes a pair of plates with openings, rotatably supported for relative rotation and a pair to project it through a pair of selectively openings. aligned 75. - In a packaging method, an improved thermal sealing process, characterized in that it comprises: (a) with a pair of conveyor belts that cooperatively acts to grab front and rear portions of bags LC) loaded, with seal portions of the portions that are to be joined to each other, projecting from the side of the bands and loaded portions of the bags projecting from the other side of the bands; (b) intermittently transporting the bags along a deployment path, at periodically operating the bands; (c) cyclically placing a heater in a sealed position near the bands to seal the seal portions when the bags are being transported and in a spaced storage position of the bands when the bands are not being driven; and (d) 20 synchronize the cyclic placement of the heater with the intermittent transport. 76.- A procedure for breaking senes of frangible connections, each series being between adjacent edges of bags of an adjacent pair of bags; being the bags in 25 a continuous belt of bags arranged side by side; said method characterized in that it comprises: (a) transporting the web along an elongated travel path; (b) successively breaking each series of frangible connections between each successive pair of bags, when each one passes through a breaker station, intermittently driving a band passed around at least two spaced pulleys, having axes that are generally parallel to the displacement path; (c) each successive band actuator step causes a member projecting from the band to pass between the side edges of a pair of adjacent pockets, and thereby break the series of connections between said adjacent pockets; and (d) coordinating the successive steps of driving the band with consecutive records of the frangible connection series with the breaker station. 77.- In a packaging machine to sequentially load and seal bags from a chain of previously open and connected bags, an improved sealant characterized in that it comprises: (a) a frame structure; (b) conveyors connected to the structure and which delineate a linear trajectory of bag displacement, through a sealing station; (c) n spaced pair of elongated, heat-emitting sealing mechanisms connected to the structure and arranged on opposite sides of an imaginary plane including the displacement path; and (d)? n adjustable mechanism positioner, interposed between the mechanisms and the structure to adjust the angular orientation of the mechanisms with respect to the conveyors, so that the mechanisms are progressively closer to the conveyors in the direction of travel bag them along the path.