US3397775A

US3397775A - Clip and seal package

Info

Publication number: US3397775A
Application number: US515629A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oscar E Seiferth; Glenn M Austin
Original assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
Current assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
Priority date: 1965-12-22
Filing date: 1965-12-22
Publication date: 1968-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 1985-08-20
Also published as: DE1511712A1

Description

0, 1968 o. E. SEIFERTH ETAL 3,397,775

CLIP AND SEAL PACKAGE Filed Dec. 22, 1965 [nae/275% 0550/ E fiez'ferfio, Glerzrz M (26492277 fiza wamh 5 United States Patent 3,397,775 CLIP AND SEAL PACKAGE Oscar E. Seiferth and Glenn M. Austin, Madison, Wis., assignors to Oscar Mayer & Co., Inc., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 515,629 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates to packaging and is more particularly concerned with improvements in a package of the type in which the product is encased in a tube of thin pliable film material with closure means at opposite ends and in a method and apparatus for forming the same.

One form of package which has been used extensively in commerce for packaging various materials including meat products, cheese and other foods, is produced by continuously forming a-tube on a hollow filling mandrel, feeding the material to be packaged through the mandrel and into the tube, and dividing the filled tube into a series of packages by constricting the tube at intervals, applying pairs of closure forming wire ties or metal clips about the constricted tube portions and cutting or severing the tube between the same. Such a package and the method and apparatus for forming the same is disclosed in Eberman and Jensen Patent No. 2,831,302, dated Apr. 22, 1958. Another form of this package has long been employed in the marketing of a variety of products which is produced in a similar manner with the filled tube being flattened at intervals and the closures formed by applying transverse heat seals to the flattened tube areas. This form of package is disclosed in Zwoyer Patent No. 1,986,422, dated Jan. 1, 1935 and Stokes Patent No. 2,257,823, dated Oct. 7, 1941. While both of these packages have enjoyed substantial commercial success, the use thereof has been confined to a limited number of products primarily because neither type of package has been considered appropriate for products of the character which makes it highly desirable to market them in a package which may be more readily opened than either of the packages referred to. In the marketing of some materials it is highly desirable to be able to open the package without breaking through the walls of the container which is generally necessary in opening the two conventional forms of this type package. It is also desirable to be able to leave part of the product in the container and to close the same so as to protect the remaining product. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a package of tube-like or pillowlike form which is closed at its opposite ends by flat and gathered seals, respectively, with the seal at the gathered end being preferably operable Without rupturing adjoining wall portions so as to permit closing thereof after removal of the package contents or a portion thereof.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a package wherein one end of a tubular container body is closed by a flat, transverse heat seal of a permanent nature while the other end is gathered and closed by a clip or tie member preferably of a material which will permit of its removal without destruction of the adjoining material in the container body.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide a package and a method and apparatus for forming the same wherein a web of relatively thin, pliant, heat sealable film is formed into a tube about a filling mandrel, the tube is filled with a product fed through the mandrel and the filled tube is constricted and closed at intervals to provide a series of packages with alternate closures comprising a flat transverse heat seals extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the tube and wire clips or ties encompassing gathered portions of the tube which are axially spaced relative to the transverse seals so as to form the mouth of the package with the latter being openable by removal of the associated closure clip when the gathered tube portions are cut so as to free the packages.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the package, and the method and apparatus for forming the same which are shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a package which incorporates the principal features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, with portions bro-ken away, illustrating an apparatus for forming the package; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, to an enlarged scale and with portions broken away.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG- URE 1 a package 10 embodying the principal features of the invention. The package 10 comprises a tubular body 11 formed of relatively thin pliable sheet material which is heat scalable and which is closed at the bottom forming end by a flat heat seal 12 extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the tube 10. The other end 13 of the package is gathered and closed by a closure forming member which is preferably a metal clip 14 of a character which can be removed without the use of tools so as to leave the mouth forming end of the package free for reclosing when only part of the product 15 is removed therefrom.

The preferred method of forming the package 10 and apparatus suitable for carrying out the same is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3. The packages 10 are formed by the machine in a continuous connected string or series of predetermined size or length and separated by severing between pairs of end closures applied thereto. The machine illustrated in Jensen and Eberman Patent No. 2,831,- 302 may be employed with modifications hereinafter referred to in the manufacture of the package and details of the machine not described herein will be found in the aforementioned patent.

Material for forming the package 10 preferably is supplied in the form of a continuous web or film 20 from a suitable supply roll (not shown). Film such as saran, Pliofilm, polyethylene or similar material which will form a thin pliant skin-like casing is suitable. The tube forming film 20 is fed beneath a guide bar 21 and over a cross bar 22, both of which extend transversely of the long axis of a vertically disposed hollow filling mandrel 23 the latter having a suitable extension 24 for connection with a product supply line. The web 20 is guided over a forming plate 30 which is cut and shaped to form a collar around the mandrel 23 and which reverses the direction of the web 20 and guides the edges thereof downwardly into overlapping tube forming relation around the mandrel 23. The forming plate 30 may be secured on the cross bar 22. The web 20, guided by the plate 30, forms a continuous tube with overlapping edges which are sealed by a sealing mechanism indicated at 25. The particular type of sealing mechanism will be dictated by the sealing characteristics of the web 20 and it may be an electronic sealing apparatus when a film such as saran is employed or it may be a straight heat sealing bar when polyethylene or similar film material is employed.

The bottom end of the filling mandrel 23 terminates at a ring 26 which is of suflicient diameter to frictionally engage the interior surface of the tube and to form a barrier against upward pressure of the material being packaged. The tube is drawn down from the end of the mandrel by a pair of feed rollers 27 supported on traverse shafts 28 which are connected with the drive mechanism (not shown) for the'machine. The tube, after passing the barrier ring 26, tends to flatten out with the rollers 27 being engaged in paired relation at oppositely disposed side portions of the walls of the filled tube and gripping fiat folds on opposite sides of the tube, thereby positively feeding the tube continuously downward to a tube con stricting or gathering and sealing head 30 which is mounted for vertical reciprocation below the feed rollers 27.

The sealing head 30 carries two sets of tube constricting and sealing mechanisms which are operative in paths at right angles to each other and which are arranged for alternate engagement with the tube so as to provide two different types of seals at predetermined spaced intervals relative to the longitudinal axis of the tube. One set of sealing mechanisms 31 may be of the same character as disclosed in Patent No. 2,831,802 comprising reciprocating pairs of co-operating tube gathering plates 32 and associated mechanism for gathering the tube and applying pairs of wire clips or sealing elements 14 in the same manner as set out in the aforesaid patent. The other set of sealing mechanisms 32 comprises a pair of heat sealing bars 35 disposed on opposite sides of the tube and adapted to be reciprocated towards each other to flatten the tube and apply transverse heat seals 12 in the manner described in Patent No. 2,257,823. The seal forming mechanisms 31 1. A package comprising a fiowable product encased in a tubular container which is of pillow-like form and fabricated of a relatively thin, pliant, heat sealable rfilm material, the bottom forming end of said container having a closure forming fiat heat seal extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the container andthe topend of said container having top marginal portions of the side wall gathered into a tightly compacted cylindrical tube section and a tie member of relatively rigid deformable material encompassing the gathered tube material and adapted to hold the same in tightly compacted sealed relation, said tie member being adapted to be removed without rupturing the container material so as to enable the package to be readily opened and reclosed.

2. A package as recited in claim 1, and said tie member being a relatively stiff bendable metal clip encircling the gathered tube material. I

" We claim:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,079,067 2/ 1963 Hill 229- 3,107,842 10/1963 Guilfoyle 229-62 FOREIGN PATENTS 675,960 7/1952 Great Britain. 1,181,283 1/1959 France.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Exan ziner.

Claims

1. A PACKAGE COMPRISING A FLOWABLE PRODUCT ENCASED IN A TUBULAR CONTAINER WHICH IS OF PILLOW-LIKE FORM AND FIBRICATED TO A RELATIVELY THIN, PLIANT, HEAT SEALABLE FILM MATERIAL, THE BOTTOM FORMING END OF SAID CONTAINER HAVING A CLOSURE FORMING FLAT HEAT SEAL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CONTAINER AND THE TOP END OF SAID CONTAINER HAVING TOP MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE SIDE WALL GATHERED INTO A TIGHTLY COMPACTED CYLINDRICAL TUBE SECTION AND A TIE MEMBER OF RELATIVELY RIGID DEFORMABLE MATERIAL ENCOMPASSING THE GATHERED TUBE MATERIAL AND ADAPTED TO HOLD THE SAME IN TIGHTLY COMPACTED SEALED RELATION, SAID TIE MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO BE REMOVED WITHOUT RUPTURING THE CONTAINER MATERIAL SO AS TO ENABLE THE PACKAGE TO BE READILY OPENED AND RECLOSED.