US2629977A

US2629977A - Package top sealing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2629977A
Application number: US783939A
Authority: US
Inventors: Riemer John
Original assignee: KRAFT FOODS CO
Current assignee: KRAFT FOODS Co
Priority date: 1947-11-04
Filing date: 1947-11-04
Publication date: 1953-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 1970-03-03

Description

March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 4. 1947 March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1947 l r I J5Z J| 55 i 193 .7539 j f lllllllll I r i L J36 4% Fa jade/#15)? (foi/ul/ .PzZe /ner March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER 2,629,977

PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 4. 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet s March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE- TOP S-EALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 4. 1947 March 3, 1953 J. RIEMER PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 4. 1947 March 3, 1953 J. RIE'MER PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Nov. 4, 1947 Patented Mar. 3, 1953 PACKAGE TOP SEALING APPARATUS John Biemer, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Kraft Foods Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application November 4, 1947, Serial No. 783,939

Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for sealing the tops of bags or other containers which have previously been filled with material, and the invention is more particularly concerned with mechanism for closing the bag-like liner of a paperboard tray or like container such as is employed for packaging cheese and perhaps other products. In the preparation of such package, a

paperboard tray is initially lined with a suitable impervious material, the liner being so applied and so formed that the portions thereof which line the side walls of the tray extend upwardly beyond the upper edges of the said side walls and are adapted to be folded inwardly over the top of the material with which the lined tray is filled so as to close the container.

One apparatus for closing and sealing containers of the type herein referred to is shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,331,927 to Palmer, October 19, 1943, and this application is concerned with certain refinements and improvements on the said Palmer patent mechanism.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide a mechanism of the character indicated which will receive the filled but open topped packages one by one from a filling machine and unerringly transfer the same to a conveyor for conducting the packages through mechanisms which perform the operations of closing and sealing the package; to provide improved mechanism for closing the package and sealing thesame along lines extending both longitudinally and transversely of the package and its direction of travel through the apparatus; to provide such improved closing and sealing mechanism which will be operative during travel of the package in a unitary direction, and which will be operative during continuous or uninterrupted travel of the package; to provide mechanism'for ejecting the package from the closing and sealing apparatus and delivering it to the conveyor and other apparatus for subsequently acting on the package without turning the package, but at the same time shifting the package laterally from the path of travel of the conveyor of the closing and sealing apparatus to the path of travel of the conveyor of the subsequent mechanism which may be laterally ofiset relative to the sealing apparatus conveyor; and, in general, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved package closing and sealing apparatus of the character indicated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the followin specification and accompanying drawings (7 sheets) wherein there is disclosed apparatus embodying a selected form of the invention, and designed for the purpose of closing and sealing cheese packages lined with thermoplastic or thermoplastically coated lining material. 7

The foregoing reference to the closing and sealing of cheese packages is not intended to limit the applicability of the apparatus to the packaging of other materials, and this mentionof cheese packaging occurs merely because the. present apparatus was designed for thatpurpose, and this particular apparatus is herein illustrated and described as representing a satisfactory exemplification of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view and Fig. 2 is a crosssection approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. '1, these views illustrating mechanism for receiving the open packages and placing them on a conveyor for carriage through closing and sealing mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a plan, and Fi 4 is a cross-section approximately on the line 44 of Fig. 3, these views representing a portion of the apparatus to which open and unsealed packages are delivered from the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, and whereby the packages are closed;

Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 66 of Fig. 5, these views representing a portion of the apparatus which acts on the packages to partially seal the same in closed condition;

Fig. 7 is a plan, and-Fig. 8 is a section approximately on the line 88 of Fig. 7, these views illustrating mechanism by which sealing of the package is completed and whereby the sealed package is transferred to another conveyor which is laterally offset from the conveyor of the sealing apparatus;

Figs. 9 and 10 are cross-sections respectively approximately on the lines -9-9 and 10-4-0 of Fig.8;

Fig. 11 is an enlargement of certain elements of mechanism appearing also in Fig. 4;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a unit of mechanism which appears also in the top plan view in Fig. 3';

Fig. 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12;

Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are perspective illustrations respectively of the top of the package delivered to the present apparatus, an intermediate condition of the package, and the final condition of the package as discharged from the present apparatus.

The package which the present apparatus closes and seals is represented in Fig. 14. It consists of a paperboard outer container I which is of generally rectangular formation having a bottom wall and a side wall extending upwardly therefrom, the details of construction of the container being of any desirable form, and of no importance in respect of the present subject. The container I is lined with a sheet of thermoplastic or thermoplastically coated sheeting represented at 2, the liner extending upwardly beyond the upper edges of the container I to provide material which is adapted to be folded over the top of the content of the package and sealed to provide a substantially air-tight and moisture-proof package. The package as received by the present apparatus has already been filled with cheese (or other material), the top surface of which is represented at 3, and the level of which is approximately in the plane of the top edges of the outer container I.

During the travel of the package through the present apparatus, the end portions 4 and of the upstanding liner are folded outwardly and the upstanding side portions 6 and I of the liner are folded inwardly over the top 3 of the package content, the upper marginal portions of the end and side walls being brought into upstanding face-to-face relation to produce a structure as illustrated in Fig. 15. In Fig. 15, the package is illustrated as having outwardly extending

end ears

8 and 9 formed as a result of the outward folding of said end portions 4 and 5 of the liner, and upstanding face-to-face flange-like portions I0 formed as the result of bringing together the side portions 6 and I of the liner walls as afore said. During the passage of the package through the present apparatus, the upstanding flanges ID are sealed together and then folded down into face-to-face engagement with the top of the package so that when the package is discharged from the present apparatus it appears as shown in Fig. 16.

Filled, open-top packages, such as represented in Fig. 14, are delivered to the present apparatus by a conveyor I I (Figs. 1 and 2) which is supported in the present apparatus by a pulley I2 carried by a shaft I3. The shaft I3 is journalled in suitable bearings, one of which is represented at I4, which are carried by a part of the frame structure of the present apparatus. The belt II also extends around a suitable pulley constituting a part of the package filling machine, or the belt may merely be a conveyor belt for transferring the filled packages from the filling machine to the present closing and sealing apparatus.

The conveyor II enters the present apparatus in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon, and it carries the filled, open packages in an endwise direction to deliver them successively against the free end portion I6 of a stop arm IT. The stop arm I! is pivoted intermediate its ends as indicated at I8 on the top plate I9 of the apparatus, the said top plate being supported by the frame structure 20, all parts of which are herein referred to by this reference number 20. The opposite end of the stop arm I! is connected by a spring 2I to a spring anchor 22 which is also secured to the top plate I9. The spring 2| is a relatively light spring which is strong enough to rock the lever II, but not strong enough to resist opposite rocking of the lever under the force of a container directed against the arm end I6 by the conveyor II. Rocking of the stop arm '4 under the force on a container delivered thereagainst is limited by an adjustable set screw 23.

A conveyor 24 (see Fig. 2) is provided for propelling the packages continuously through the various operating units of the mechanism, the said conveyor being a chain conveyor which is supported at its receiving end by a sprocket 25 which is carried by a shaft '26, the latter being suitably journalled in bearings carried by the frame structure as represented at 21 (Fig. 1). This conveyor 24 is offset laterally from the line of the delivery conveyor II, and as illustrated, it is offset in this instance a distance approximating twice the width of the containers. There is no special significance in this relationship between the container width and the spacing of the conveyor 24 from the conveyor II except to indicate that the spacing is substantial. It is preferred to employ two steps of movement to deliver the containers laterally from the conveyor II to the conveyor 24, especially in view of the fact that the conveyor 24 is propelled continuously while the package is initially at rest relative to the travel of the conveyor 24, and thus has considerable inertia to being moved endwise by the conveyor 24. To facilitate transfer of the packages over the wide space indicated, and to initiate endwise travel of the packages without imposing intermittent shock loads on the conveyor 24, the following two-step transfer mechanism is provided.

The packages delivered to the present apparatus are guided by

guide rods

28 and 29, respectively, located along the side edges of the conveyor II. As shown in Fig. 1, the filled container I has been delivered against the stop arm portion I6 and is in position for initial transverse movement into the path of travel of an in termediate or auxiliary conveyor 30 which travels continuously over sprockets 3| and 32 on the shafts I3 and 26, respectively. The conveyor 30 is provided with pusher arms 33 (Fig. 2) at suitably spaced intervals for engaging the rear end of the package delivered thereto so as to pick up and propel the package in the endwise direction. in which the package is to be moved through the apparatus.

A pusher 34 is supported for horizontal sliding movement crosswise of the path of the direction of travel of the containers, by means of a pusher slide 35 which is horizontally slidably mounted on the underside of the table plate I9 through the agency of suitable guides 3636 which are suitably secured to the underside of the table plate IS. The pusher slide 35 has a depending ear 3'! (Fig. 2) which is connected by means of a short link 38 to the free end of the arm 39 by a bell crank lever, the other arm 40 of which has its free end provided with a cam following roller M (Fig. 1) adapted to engage a rotating cam (not shown) mounted on the rotatably driven shaft 42 which is suitably journalled in bearings carried by the frame structure.

The cam which is not shown is similar to the cam 43 (Fig. 2), and the bell crank comprising the arms 39 and 40 is similar to the bell crank 44 which actuates a second transfer pusher which will presently be described. The cam 43 and bell crank 44 as seen in Fig. 2 conceal the cam which acts on the bell crank arm 40, and the bell crank 44 similarly conceals the bell crank arms 39 and 40, wherefore they do not appear in Fig. 2. The cam which actuates the bell crank arms 39 and 40 and the pusher 34 is properly shaped and timed-to effect lateralshifting of the container a I so that the container will be delivered over the conveyor 30 in front of one of the conveyor pushers 33 rather than against the side of the finger. This timing is, of course, effected by inter-connecting the shaft 26 with the cam shaft 42 by means of driving gears or chains or by other suitable means whereby these shafts may be timed relative to each other. Such driving connections are well known to those skilled in the art, and, therefore, not herein illustrated.

An auxiliary guide rail 45 (Fig. 1) is provided to limit the transverse movement of the containor by the pusher 34. Thi guide rail is suitably mounted on the table plate l9, and may be fabricatedas a part oi the guide rail 29 substantially as illu trated.

The package. which has been initially transferred to the intermediate conveyor 39 will, of course, be propelled endwise by that conveyor, and it will thereby be brought alongside a second pusher 46 which is elongated, as shown, in the direction of travel of the package. The pusher 46 is mounted for transverse sliding movement through the agency of a slide member 4'! which is slidably mounted in guides d848 which are secured to the underside of the table top IS. The slide ii is reciprocated through the agency of a link 49 which has its ends connected respectively to an ear 59 depending from the slide 41 and the upper end of one arm of the bell crank lever 44, the other arm of which has its end provided with a cam following roller Ma for engagement with the rotating cam 43.

Springs indicated at 51 and 52 are provided for yieldingly urging the pushers to move in their operative directions, and the cams retract the pusher. The spring is stretched between an anchor bracket 53 andan attaching ear M which is secured to the slide 35. Similarly, the spring 52 has one end secured to an anchoring bracket 55 and its other end secured to a spring attaching bracket 56 which is secured to the pusher slide 41. In the event of any obstruction to the normal transferring movement of the pushers, the springs El and 52 will yield, that is to say, they will not force the pushers to the extent of causing breakage if normal movement is obstructed, and the movement of the pushers is, of course, timed by the cams which also serve to retract the pushers as already indicated.

The pusher it is elongated, as aforesaid, so that it will e operative ainst the package which is in endwise movement as. a result ofits engagem nt y the auxiliary conveyor 30, and l o as a r sult of i s: subsequen eng gem nt with the main onveyor 25. By. elonga ing thes c nd pusher at. the pack ge will p sitively be positioned squar ly in t e path. f travel f the c nveyor 24 with one side of the package in guiding engagement with the guide rail 57. As the package advances with the conveyor24, its travel is additionally guided by a guide rod 58 so that the travel of the package is normally guided between the said guide rails 5'! and 58.

The bell crank i l and the bell crank comprising the arms 39 and iii are pivotally mounted on a shaft 59 which is suitably supported in brackets secured to the frame structure.

The conveyor 24 is provided with upstanding pusher arms 6!! which are suitably secured to the conveyor chain 2 3, Said pushers so have narrow central arms 6], upper end cross arms 62, the width of which is approximately the same as the width of the packages being propelled, and

, .lowerend cross arms 63 which are formed to slidably fit in guide ways 64 and 85 formed in. agulde strip 66which is secured to the bottom of the table top l9, and additionally supported through the agency of brackets (not shown) connected to the frame structure. The lower crossarms or bases 63 of the pushers are elongated in the direction of travel of the pushers as shown in Fig. 3 so that the pushers are effectively guided against turning in their tracks. The length of the bases 63 together with their depth also serves to prevent tipping of the pushers rearwardly because of resistance of the package to movement, the said base thickness being such as to fit between the. bottoms of the ways 64 and 65 nd the underside of the ta le plate l9. solearly shown in Fig. 2.

The heads 52 of the p he s are widened in th direction of travel f the conveyor so as to form anvils or platens over which One or the end ears (5 or 9) of the container p ck e will e positioned for sealing purposes as will presently be explained. For. a similar sealing purpose, the conveyor 24 is provided with anvil members 61 (Fig, 8) which may be of substantially thesame construction as the pusher members. An anvil member 61 is provided in association with each pusher member, and the cooperating pusher and anvil members are so spaced from each other that the length of the package will freely fit between the members withthe ears 8 and 9 (which are ultimately formed on the package) overlying-the tops of the pusher and anvil members. The table top 19 is, of course, slotted as indicated at 68 (Fig. 1) for the passage of the upstanding central parts of the pushers and anvils.

The package having been delivered to the conveyor 24, is then in continuous motion through the apparatus and it is first brought into thezone of operation of mechanism which folds the upstanding liner portions from the condition illustrated in Fig, 14 to the package-closing position illustrated in Fig. 15. The liner-folding mechanism is similar to that shown in the above-mentionecl Patent 2,331,927. It consists of a vertically reciprocable but otherwise stationary end folder 69 (see Figs; 3 and l) which is carried by a cross arm 78 secured to the upper end of a vertically reciprocable rod 1 l. The rod H is vertically slidably mounted in a suitable-bracket or guide '12 which is secured to the conveyor guiding strip 66 nd he undersi e of the abletop 1 An ear lsproiectins laterally fr m therod l through a ertically extending lot insaid guid 12 has piv ted to itas ind cated at. 14 one nd' anadiusta le link 15- The oth r nd of said link is piv t d as in ted at 16 to the free end of a lone transve se arm 71 whi h is r ably mounted on the shaft 59. roller 78 which engages a cam 19 so formed as to periodically permit the rod H and the folder 6-9 to be lowered from its normally elevated position as illustrated in Fig. 4. A spring 80 stretched between the free end of the arm 1'! and a framecarried anchor serves to normally pull the arm and link 15 downwardly as permitted by the cam iii. The cam is so shaped and so timed relative to the travel and position of each package space provided in the conveyor 24 that the folder 69 will be lowered into the inside of the package as soon as the upstanding leading end wall of the liner has passed said folder. Continued travel of the package will then cause the rear end wall of the package liner to engage the lowered folder so as to be thereby folded rearwardly or outwardly relative to the rear end of the moving packa e;

Said arm 1! is provided with a The folder s9 is, or course, restored its vated position in time to permit the leading end of the next succeeding package to pass thereunder without engaging it.

At about the same time that the rear end of the upstanding liner is being folded rearwardly and outwardly, the front end is being folded forwardly and outwardly during continuation of the normal forward travel of the package. The front end folding mechanism is illustrated in detail in Fig. 12. It, too, is similar to mechanism shown in said Patent 2,331,927 and consists of a stationary cam 8| (see Figs. 3, 12 and 13) carried by a stationary tubular shaft or a bushing 82 which is fitted in a tubular head portion 83 of a fixed, upstanding bracket 84. A shaft 85 is journalled in said bushing 82, and is provided adjacent the cam 8| with an expandible or extendible rotary head comprising a plate part 86 which is rigidly secured to the shaft 85 and a plate part 81 which is pivoted as indicated at 88 to the rigid part 86. The plate 8'! is equipped with a roller 89 which engages the periphery of the cam 8|, a spring 90 being provided for urging said cam follower 89 into engagement with said cam. The spring 90 is stretched between an anchor pin 8I which is rigidly secured to the hub 92 of the plate 86, and a pin 93 which is fixed to the plate 81 and extends through an arcuate slot 94 in the plate 86.

The shaft 85 with its expandible head structure comprising the

parts

86 and 81 is rotated by means of a chain drive from a driven shaft below the table plate I9. To that end the shaft 85 has a sprocket 95 secured to its outer end. The sprocket 95 co-operates with a chain 96 which extend downwardly through a slot in the table plate (see Figs. 3 and 4) into engagement with a sprocket 91. The sprocket 81 is carried by one end of a shaft 88 which is suitably journalled in a bearing bracket 99 suspended from the table with a driven chain whereby the shaft I 03 is o driven to thereby also drive the shaft 98 and the rotary front end folding mechanism. The chain represented at I05 which engages'the sprocket I04 passes over suitable guiding sprockets (not shown) and to a driving sprocket I06 (Fig. 9) which is carried by a driven cross-shaft I0'I, the latter being suitably journalled in bearings supported in the frame structure 20. The crossshaft I0! is driven by a bevelled gear connection comprising the bevel gears I08 and I08 which are respectively secured to the main drive shaft 42 and the said shaft I 01.

The main drive shaft 42 may be driven by an electric motor or by connection to any other source of power. An electric motor may conveniently be housed within the frame structure of the present apparatus, and it may be operatively connected to the main drive shaft 42 through the agency of a chain drive or suitable speed reducing and speed controlling mechanism or in any other suitable, known manner. If desired, the power source may consist in a driven connection to either the container filling mechanism or to a unit of mechanism to which the packages are delivered by the closing and sealing mechanism herein disclosed.

Incident to the rotation of the

end folder elements

86 and 81 around the cam 8| (Fig. 12) the member 81 will be rocked on its pivot 88 relative to its carrying member 86 so as to thereby project its leading edge and corner portion I I0 forwardly relative to the corresponding edge and corner portion of the member 86 thereby, in effect, accelerating the forward travel of the member 86. Such acceleration of the forward movement of the

rotary structures

86 and 81 causes the forward edge IIO of the member 81 to engage and fold outwardly the leading end wall of the container structure.

At the same time that the leading and trailing ends of the container end walls are being folded forwardly and rearwardly of the package, the side wall portions are folded inwardly into overlying relation to the top of the package content. Such folding is effected by a pair of folder plates III and H2 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 11) which are respectively hinged as indicated at H3 and H4 to the upper edges of suitable brackets H5 and H8 which are respectively secured to the table top I9. These folding plates III and H2 are adapted to be rocked inwardly from the vertical upstanding position as illustrated in full lines in Figs. 3, 4 and 11 to horizontally inwardly extending position approximately as represented in dotted lines ill-Fig. 11. The folder plates may approach a true horizontal position somewhat more closely than is illustrated in dotted lines, which position does not necessarily represent the final folded position but may be an intermediate position close to the ultimate inwardly folded position. When the plates are so rocked, the upstanding side portions 6 and I of the container liner will, of course, be folded inwardly. The folding plates III and H2 are somewhat longer than the length of a package so as to maintain sliding contact with the liner portions during the travel of the package.

The inward folding of the liner side portions 6 and 'I is effected in such timed relationship to the outward folding of the end portions thereof, i. e. at about the same time, that the parts will be smoothly folded to' form the projecting

ears

8 and 9 and the upstanding sealing flange I0. The rear end folder 69 and the front folder structure 86, 8'! serve to support the marginal portions of the walls while the side folders III and H2 are folded inwardly, whereby the upstanding joint flange I0 is produced.

The folders I II and H2 are provided with outwardly and downwardly extending arms II! and H8 respectively (see Figs. 4 and 11), the lower ends of which arms are connected by means of links H9 and I20 to the upper ends of vertically reciprocable rods I2I and I22. The rods I2I and I22 are vertically slidably mounted in suitable guide brackets or sleeves I23I23 which are secured to the chain guiding strip 66 in proper alignment with the folder arms Ill and H8.

The lower ends of the vertically slidable posts I2I and I22 (see Fig. 4) are secured to a crosshead I24 which cooperates with the guides I23 to maintain the posts I2I and I22 in parallel relation for free sliding movement in the said guides I23. Coil springs I25I25 stretched between anchoring pins secured to the upper ends of the guide members I23 and to the lower ends ofthe posts I2I and I22, serve to normally urge the posts to move upwardly through the guides I23 and to thereby act through the links H9 and I20 to rock the folders II I and H2 inwardly to effect their described folding operation. Said folding movement is controlled by a cam I26 carried by the main shaft 42. Said cam acts against a roller I21 which is secured to the arm I28 having one end rockably mounted on the shaft 59. The free end of the arm I28 is connected by means of an adjustable length link I29 to the cross-head I24 so that the cam I26 is operative to pull the posts or rods IZI, I22 downwardly against the tension of the springs I25 to thereby unfold or open the folding plates III and H2.

After the upstanding liner portions have been folded to the closed position illustrated in Fig. 15, the package passes through a sealing mechanism which unites the upstanding joint flap portions II]. This sealing mechanism is shown in Figs. and 6. It comprises a pair of sealing wheels or rolls I30 and I3I which are secured to the upper ends of vertically disposed shafts I32 and I33 respectively. Th shaft I32 is journalled near its upper end in a bearing I34 provided in a portion of the chain guide strip 53, and its lower end is journalled in a bearing bracket I35 which is secured to a transverse part of the frame structure 29. A suitable thrust bearing is employed in the mounting of the shaft I32 to support it against downward movement. The shaft I32 is driven by a bevel gear connection to the main drive shaft 42, the shaft I32 havin a bevel gear I33 secured to its lower end, and the shaft 42 having a bevel gear I31 secured thereto and meshing with the gear I36. I

The shaft I33 which carries the other sealin roll, is mounted at its lower end in a bearin I38 provided in the bearing bracket I35, said bearing I38 being of the self-aligning type which permits the bearing sleeve proper to rock to a limited extent within the supporting bracket I35. Near its upper end, the shaft I33 is journalled in a bearing carried by a bracket I39 which is secured to the underside of the table top I9 in such manner that it may shift slightly horizontally toward and from the shaft I32. Spring means I40 is provided for normally urging the bracket I39 toward the shaft I32. The spring I4!) is seated in an externally screw-threaded socket or sleeve I4I which is threaded through a bracket I42 which is secured to the underside of the table top I3. By adjusting the sleeve I4I toward or from the bracket I39, the pressure of the spring I40 on the bracket I39 may be adjusted.

The sealing rolls I33 and I3I are provided with annular chambers I43 and E44 respectively in their upper portions, and their peripheral portions are grooved so as to provide relatively narrow ribs I45 on the roll I30 and I46 on the roll I3I. These ribs I45 and I43 receive between them the upstanding joint flange II of the package, and incident to the travel of the package and the passage of said flange between said ribs, applies sealing pressure to unite the same.

It will be seen that the spring pressure ar rangement I40, I42 permits the rolls to separate sufiicientl'y to receive the joint flange therebetween while at the same time providing adequate sealing pressure. To heat the peripheral ribs of the sealing Wheels, suitable electrical heating elements represented at I41 and I43 are disposed in the annular chambers I43 and I44 respectively of the sealing rolls. The said heating elements have terminals which extend up wardly into a housing I49 wherein connections are made to a suitable source of power. The

heating elements I41 and I48 are stationary and. do not contact the respective rolls, but they are arranged very close thereto so as to effectively heat the rolls. By heating the rolls as described, they are made effective to fuse the thermoplastic material of the flanges so as to more effectively seal said flanges together.

A terminal block I50 supports the heater elements and their terminals and said block is mounted on a bridge plate I5I which is supported at its ends by suitable posts extending upwardly from the table plate I9. This bridge plate I5I is provided with peripheral flange portions represented at I52 which depend from the plate so as to partially cover the sides of the sealin rolls, thereby improving the general app of the structure while also to some extent pro viding a guard against accidental entrance of foreign material between the sealing rolls.

To condition th joint flange II] for passa e between the sealing rolls, that is to insure that the joint flange extends upwardly in proper po-' sition to enter between the sealing rolls, there is provided a guide member I53 which is hinged as indicated at I54 to a bracket I55 extendin upwardly from the table plate I9. Said guide member I53 is formed with a longitudinal slot I56 having a flared entrance or mouth as shown at I57 to receive and straighten up the joint flange. This member I53 becomes somewhat heated from the heat of the sealing rolls, and serves as a preheater for the joint flange to thereby preliminarily condition the Joint flange for the fusing operation effected by the sealing rolls. If desired, the guide member I53 may be equipped with an independent heating unit I58 which may be connected by flexible conductors to a power source within the terminal box I49. This heating element is not essential but, in some instances, dependin upon the character of the lining material employed, may be desirable.

After the joint flange has been sealed by the sealing rolls, the package is acted upon by a presser head which folds the upstanding joint flange into fiat face-to-face engagement with the top of the package, and also applies pressure to the entire top area of the package to flatten the same and to also expel any air which may remain between the folded over liner portions and the package content. Air may be so expelled through the ends of the

liner end ears

8 and 9 which constitute, in effect, flat tubes which communicate with the interior of the package. Means for sealing the endwis'e pro-'

jecting ears

8 and 9 by seals extending crosswise or said cars is provided in association with said air expelling device. These associated units of mechanism are shown in Figs. '7 to 10, inclusive.

The folding and pressing mechanism for flattening the package top and expelling air'comprises a presser head I59 which is pivoted as indicated at ISO to a hanger I6I so as to be capable of limited rocking movement about the axis of the pivot I53. To limit such rocking movement,

the lower end of the hanger I6I is provided with lateral extensions I32 and IE3 which have their lower surfaces spaced slightly from the top surface of the presser plate I59 for the purpose indicated. The hanger IGI is pivoted as indicated at I64 on an axis transverse to the axis of the pivot I60, to a bracket I65 which extends laterally from a vertically slidably supported post I66; The hanger I5I is capable of only limited rock- 11 ing movement about the axis of its hinge pin I64, such movement being limited by providing square ends I61 on the hanger for cooperation with correspondingly squared shoulders I68 on the bracket I65.

For folding the joint flange of the package to flatwise position on the top of the package, the presser head I59 has attached to it a folding finger I69 so positioned and so formed that as an incident to the travel of the package, the joint flange will come into engagement with the folder I69 and be turned over to the desired flatwise position on the top of the package. Subsequently, the presser head I59 is lowered into pressing engagement with the top of the package so as to expel any air which may up to that time remain between the wrapper and the package content. The presser member I59 is also moved horizontally so as to travel in unison with the package whereby the air expelling pressure may be maintained on the package for a short time interval, while the package continues its normal travel. The presser plate is automatically elevated from the package and returned to its starting position for engagement with the next succeeding package, and the pressed package enters into the zone of operation of mechanism for sealing the end ears.

The ear sealing mechanism comprises a sealing head I which is pivoted as shown at I1I to a hanger arm I12 which is rigidly secured directly to the upper end portion of a vertically slidable post I13. The hanger I12 is provided with lateral ear extensions I14 and I which are so formed that their lower surfaces are slightly spaced from the upper surface of the sealing head I10 to permit a very limited rocking movement of the sealing head about its pivot pin I1 I.

At the ends of the sealing head I10 and on its bottom surface, there are provided pairs of downwardly projecting transverse ribs I16. These ribs are adapted to engage the

ear portions

8 and 9 of the package which are supported on the anvils 62 and 61 of the conveyor chain 24. The ends of the sealing head I10 are also transversely bored to receive electrical heating elements I11, I11 for heating the ribs I16 to the extent necessary to insure effective fusing together of the contacting surfaces of the plies of lining material which form the

ears

8 and 9 of the package. Electrical connections for the heaters I11 may be made in any suitable manner, and they may be made in the terminal box I49 of the joint flange sealing rolls, if desired.

The ear sealing head I10, like the presser head I59 is initially lowered into engagement with the package ears, then moved laterally in unison with th travel of the package, then moved upwardly away from the package, and rearwardly to its starting position in preparation for operation on the next package. The presser head I59 and ear sealing head I10 operate simultaneously on successive packages.

The post I66 which carries the presser head I59 is vertically slidably mounted in a slide I18 which is horizontally slida'bly mounted on a horizontal track or bar I19. The horizontal track or bar I19 is fixedly mounted at its ends and at a point intermediate its ends, on a frame plate or bracket I80, the latter being secured to th underside of the chain track 66 and to the table I9 by means of bolts as indicated in Fig. 10. The portions of the bar I19 intermediate its points of attachment to said bracket I80 are spaced from the bracket so as to permit the slide I18 and a similar slide I8I to be moved horizontally along said bar I19. The slide I8I vertically slidably supports the post I13 which carries the ear sealing head I10.

Horizontal sliding movement is imparted to the slides I18 and I8I by means of a cam I82 carried by the cross-shaft I01. This cam I82 acts against a cam following roller I83 which is carried by the lower end of an arm I84, the latter being rockably mounted intermediate its ends on a shaft I85. The shaft I85 is supported in fixed position by means of a hanger I86 and an upstanding bracket I81 (see Figs. 9 and 10), the bracket I86 being secured to the bracket plate I80, and the bracket I81 extending upwardly from a part of the frame 20.

The upper end of the arm I84 is connected by means of a link I84a to the slide I18 which is in turn connected by a long link I84b to the slide I8I. A spring I84c stretched between the upper end of the arm I84 and an anchoring point on the frame serves to yieldingly maintain the cam following roller I83 in operative engagement with the cam I82. The cam I82 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8, and serves by rocking the arm I84 in a clockwise direction of movement to advance the slides I18 and I8I on the horizontal bar I19. Return movement of the slides is, of course, effected by the spring I84a.

For effecting the vertical component of movement of the presser head I59 and the ear sealing head I10, there is provided a cam I88 on the said shaft I01, said cam operating against a cam following roller I89 which is carried by an ear or lug depending from a bar I90. The bar I90 is suspended from the bracket I80 by means of a pair of links I9I and I92 so that the bar I90 may be rocked about the axes of the upper end pivots I93 of the links I9I and I92. A tension spring I94 is stretched between an anchor point on the frame structure and the bar I90 in such a manner as to maintain the cam following roller I89 in operative engagement with the cam I88.

It will be seen that the cam I88 acting against the roller I89 is operative to rock the bar I90 laterally as a result of which the bar swings about the axes of the said pivots I93.

The bar I90 acts through a roller I95 which is carried by the lower end portion of the post I13 to control lowering and to effect raising of said post as an incident to the said swinging movement of the bar I90. Upward movement of the post I13 and the sealing head I10 is positively effected by force derived from the cam I88. Downward movement of the sealing head and its post I13 is dependent upon gravity, but if desired a suitable spring or weight means may be provided to additionally urge the post I13 downwardly. However, the weight of the post and of the sealing head carried thereby is substantial and provides adequate force for moving these parts downwardly and keeping the roller I95 in engagement with the upper edge of the bar I90. The weight of these vertically moving parts thus determines the sealing pressure applied by the heating ribs I16 against the package ears and the underlying anvil parts which support said ears.

The presser head post I66 is moved vertically in the slide I18 by a similar arrangement which comprises a bar I96 which is suspended at its ends from the bracket I80 by a pair of links I 81 and I98. The bar I96 is thus swingable about the axes of the upper pivots I99, I99 of the links I91 seesaw and I99. Such swinging movement is efiected by means of an angularly disposed link 299 which is pivoted at its lower end as shown at 29I toone end of the bar I96 by a pivot bolt which also connects the link I98 to the bar I96. The other end of said angularly disposed link 299 is pivotally connected as indicated at 202 to the link I9I intermediate the ends of the latter. When the link I9I swings about its upper end pivot I93, its movement will be imparted through the angularly disposed link '299 to the bar I96. Because of the location of the pivot 292, the extent of swinging movement imparted to the bar I96 will be somewhat less than that of the bar I99. Upward movement of the bar I96 is transmitted to the presser plate post I66 by means of a roller 293 which is secured to the lower end portion of the post I66 in position to rest on the upper edge of the bar I96. The reduced extent of vertical motion imparted to the presser head (incident to the described arrangement of the actuating link 299) is suficient, and it will, of course, be understood that the weight of the post I66 and the presser head structure determines the pressure which the presser head I59 applies to the top of the package for smoothing and air expulsion purposes. Here again, weights or springs may be applied, if desired, to add to the downward pressure of the presser head. The cams I82 and I69 are, of course, so formed and so timed relative to each other as to eifect vertical and horizontal components of motion of the presser head and sealing head in the relationship desired.

In Fig. 8, the presser and sealing heads I59 and I19 respectively are illustrated in an intermediate lowered position wherein the presser head I59 is expelling air from one package and the sealing head is sealing the end ears of a preceding package. As shown in this position, the bars I99 and I95 are in their lowermost positions and are temporarily at rest, the cam follower I99 being in engagement with an intermediate portion of a recessed, concentric, rest portion of the cam I99. The presser and sealing heads are, however, in horizontal movement due to the action of a rising portion of the cam I82 and the cam follower I83 and its lever I94.

At. about the end of the horizontal travel of the presser and sealing heads, or slightly before the end of such travel, a rising portion of the cam I 88 acts on the cam follower I89 to effect upward swinging movement of the bars I99 and I 96 about their supporting pivots, thereby to effect upward movement of the presser and sealing heads from the respective packages preparatory to rearward return movement of said heads for engagement with succeeding packages. Upon disengagement of the presser and sealing heads from the packages, horizontal return motion is imparted to said heads by the action of the spring I940 which is permitted to contract by a falling portion of the cam I82. Meanwhile, the cam I88 maintains the presser and sealing heads in elevated position incident to a high concentric or rest portion of the cam. When the presser and sealing heads arrive at their retracted, starting position, a falling or descending portion of the cam I89 permits the spring I94 to effect downward swinging movement of the bars I99 and I96 from the elevated position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 8. Such downward swinging movement of the bars I99 and I99 serves, of course, to effect lowering of the presser and sealing heads into engagement with the underlying packages as already explained, and a rising portion of the cam I82 then acts to effect forward movement of the slides I I8 and I8l and the presser and sealing heads as aforesaid. It will be understood that the cams I82 and I88 are so formed that the downward and upward starting and finishing movements of the presser and sealer heads are effected while these heads are also moved forwardly at the same speed that the packages are propelled by the package conveyor. Hence, there is no slippage or wiping movement of the presser and sealing heads on the portions of the package which they engage. Injury to the packages is thereby avoided.

After the ear sealing operation has been completed, the packages are ready to be transferred to other mechanism which will complete the package by applying a cover thereto or performing other operations. In this instance, subsequent apparatus may receive the packages by means of a conveyer diagrammatically represented at 294 (Fig. 7) which extends between'the present top closing and sealing apparatus and the subsequent apparatus. In the present apparatus, the conveyor 294 is guided by a sprocket wheel 295 which is carried by a shaft 295 suitably journalled in bearings carried by the frame structure 29 (see Figs. '7, 8 and 9). As shown, the conveyor 294 is laterally offset from the main conveyor 24 of the present closing and sealing apparatus. For shifting the packages transversely from the conveyor 24 to the conveyor 294, there' is provided a rotary shifting device which consists of a head 29'! (Figs. 7 and 8) which is journalled as indicated at 298 on one end of an arm 299. The arm 299 is fixedly mounted at its other end on the upper end of a vertical shaft 2 I 9 which is suitably journalled in bearings carried by the frame structure and driven by intermeshing bevel gear connection indicated at 2I I to the main drive shaft 42. The head 291 has fixedly associated therewith a sprocket 2I2 which meshes with a chain 2I3 which in turn also engages a sprocket 2 I4 on the upper end of said shaft 2I0. Rotation imparted to the arm 299 will, of course, be transmitted to the head 29?, but because of the sprocket and chain connections 2I2, 2 I3 and 2 I4, the head 29'! will maintain a relatively fixed position in which its broad head will maintain contact with the side of the package during its lateral movement from the conveyor 24 to the conveyor294.

The conveyor 294 is, of course, provided with suitable means for engaging the package to insure its movement with the conveyor, and a guide bar 294a, is provided at one side of the conveyor for cooperating with the transfer head 291 to position the packages squarely over the conveyor 294.

The shaft 296 may be driven by means of a chain drive comprising a chain 2 I 5 which engages sprockets 2I6 on the shaft I9'I (Fig. 9) and 2I'I on the shaft 296. The shaft 296 also carries a sprocket 2I8 which is engaged by the conveyor chain 24 to drive the latter. To maintain the chain 2I5 at the proper degree of tautness for smoothly driving the shaft 296, the chain 2 I 5 may engage an idler sprocket 2I9 (Fig. 8) which may be horizontally movably mounted and/ or adjustably mounted for setting in selected position resiliently urged to move horizontally away from the sprocket 2 I1 relative to said sprocket 2 I I.

The described mechanism provides package closing, pressing and sealing mechanism which performs its operations on the packages while they travel continuously, in a single direction, through the machine. Smooth working, quiet, rapid and trouble-free operation is thereby attained. The mechanism is of comparatively simple character, presents a clean cut appearance and, because of its relative simplicity, is easy to keep in a clean and sanitary condition. Various changes in the described arrangementmay be made without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. In package sealing apparatus of the class described, the combination of a continuously driven conveyor, means for delivering unsealed packages to said conveyor, and means operative during the continuous travel of the packages on said conveyor to seal the packages along lines extending transversely of their direction of travel on said conveyor, said sealing means comprising an anvil member carried by said conveyor for supporting a portion of the package which is to be sealed, a pressure member normally overlying the path of travel of the packages carried by said conveyor, and means for lowering said pressure member into cooperating engagement with said anvil and for efiecting travel of said pressure member in unison with said anvil, whereby said pressure member and anvil cooperate to effect said transverse sealing of the package during the travel thereof as aforesaid.

2. In package sealing apparatus of the class described, the combination of a continuously driven conveyor, means for delivering unsealed packages to said conveyor, and means operative during continuous travel of the packages on said conveyor to seal the packages along lines extending transversely of their direction of travel on said conveyor, said means comprising an anvil carried by said conveyor and serving to support a portion of the package which is to be sealed, a pressure member normally spaced from said anvil, means for moving said pressure member toward said anvil for cooperating therewith to apply pressure to said package portion, and means for efiecting movement of said pressure member in unison with said anvil for a limited portion of the travel of said anvil while maintaining said cooperating relationship between said pressure member and anvil.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a continuously driven conveyor for propelling packages which are to be sealed, an anvil carried by said conveyor for supporting a scalable portion of a package during its propulsion by said conveyor, a pressure member, means for mounting said pressure member for movement toward and from said anvil and for movement in unison with said anvil, and cam means for imparting to said pressure member 16 said movement toward and from and in unison with said anvil.

4. In package sealing apparatus of the class described, the combination of a continuously driven conveyor, means for delivering to said conveyor packages having tubular, unsealed ears extending laterally therefrom, and means operative during the continuous travel of the packages on said conveyor to seal said ears along lines extending transversely of their direction of travel, said sealing means comprising anvils carried by said conveyor for supporting said ears, a sealing member adapted to successively cooperate with said anvils to eiTect said sealing, means mounting said sealing member for vertical movement toward and from said anvils and for horizontal movement in unison therewith, and means for effecting said vertical and horizontal movement of said sealing member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the means for mounting the sealing member comprises a normally stationary horizontal guide bar, a slide element movable horizontally on said guide bar, a post vertically slidably mounted in said slide element, said sealing member being secured to said post, and wherein the means for efiecting said vertical and horizontal movement of the sealing member comprises a cam, means actuated by said cam for imparting horizontal movement to said slide, a second cam, and means actuated by said cam for effecting vertical movement of said post, said cams being timed to effect the vertical and horizontal components of motion of said sealing member in predetermined cooperating relationship to said conveyor carried anvil.

JOHN RIEMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,961,697 Little June 5, 1934 2,114,624 Bergstein Apr. 19, 1938 2,14 ,505 Gammeter Jan. 3, 1939 2,232,783 Hausheer Feb. 25, 1941 2,262,799 Everett Nov. 18, 1941 2,299,504 Sergent Oct. 20, 1942 2,331,927 Palmer Oct. 19, 1943 2,393,961 Almgren Feb. 5, 1946 2,475,617 Irmscher July 12, 1949