US3456417A

US3456417A - Method for packaging materials in flexible walled containers

Info

Publication number: US3456417A
Application number: US658836A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Wright
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-08-07
Filing date: 1967-08-07
Publication date: 1969-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 1986-07-22

Description

July 22 1969 c. E. WRIGHT 3,456,417

METHOD FOR I'ACKAUING IAA'I'IHHALS .IN FhEXlH l-i WAhbL-H) UON'IAINIIHS Filed Aug. 9. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I FIG. 1

10 p 22 I I I i 1 i FIG 2a 24 I I I I! 26 N VI (Jl-L CHARLES E. WRIGHT ATTORNEYS c. E. WRIGHT 3,456,417

THOD FOR PACKAGING MATERIALS IN FLEXIBLE WALLED CONTAINERS July 22, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 7, 1967 FIG 3a lr/vlgxwmle, CHARLES E.WRIGHT m 74 f 057%! ATTORNEYS y 969 c. E. WRIGHT 3,456,417 I JIE'ZHOD FOR PACKAGING MATERIALS IN FLEXIBLE WALLED CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 7. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet L5 [NV/5N! UR CHARLES E. WRIGHT ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,456,417 METHOD FOR PACKAGING MATERIALS IN FLEXIBLE WALLED CONTAINERS Charles E. Wright, 100 Kilbarry Road, Toronto 7, Ontario, Canada Cogtmugloiiiis-pagl of application Ser. No. 451,863, pr. is a lication Au 7 1967 No. 658,836 pp g Ser Int. C1. 1365]) 61/00 US. Cl. 53-14 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A web of flexible scalable material is formed into a substantially tubular casing which is cross sealed by means of sealing members, the tubular casing then being advanced and a pair of spaced apart removable closure members being applied to the casing a pre-determined distance from the cross seal. The casing is again advanced and is cross sealed a pre-determined distance from the closure members thereby completing the process which s then repeated. Before each pair of closure members 1s applied to the casing and before each cross sealing operation is performed on the casing a pre-determined quantity of material is introduced into the casing, the casing, as the final step or steps in the disclosed method, being severed through each cross seal area and between the closure members constituting each pair thereof. The casing may be advanced by movement of a mandrel tube around which the casing is formed or by movement of the sealing members. The ends of the casing which are presented by the severing of the casing between the closure meinbers constituting each pair thereof may be heat sea ed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 451,863, filed on Apr. 29, 1965, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of invention In known methods of continuously packaging materials in flexible walled containers made of heat-scalable material a web of such material which has previously been provided with successive printed areas is shaped around a mandrel and formed into a continuous tube by joining along the adjacent edges. Heat and pressure are then applied transversely to form a cross seal thus providing a container which is supplied with a measured or weighed quantity of material to a level dictated by the division between the successive printed areas. After filling the tube is then advanced to a position at which heat and pressure are again applied transversely to the tube above the level of the material to provide a cross seal and the whole process is then repeated.

In the method outlined above the container is, of course, heat sealed at both ends but no provision is made for re-closing an end of the container after said end has been opened by breaking of the appropriate heat seal, such re-closing of the container being required when, as is frequently the case, only a portion of the material within the container is used at a particularly time and the remainder of the material is stored for future use. It is thus desirable for flexible containers which have each been heat sealed at one end and filled to be capable of being re-closed at the other end with a removable and reusable closure, irrespective of whether or not said other end is, in addition, closed by heat sealing.

It is also desirable to provide a method of continuously packaging products in flexible heatsealable tubes divided into containers which are closed at at least one end with a heat seal and at the other end with a removable and re-usable closure; one of the problems is to avoid wastage of the heat-scalable material.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a method of making flexible containers continuously and at high speeds with removable re-usuable closures and cross seals without wastage of the flexible material.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of continuously making and sealing containers sealed at one end and applying mechanical re-usable closures at the other end, the containers being formed of sealable material.

Description of prior art The most relevant prior art of which the inventior is aware is US. Patents Nos. 3,057,129 to Meissner and 3,214,883 to Omori. Meissner teaches the forming of a web into a tube which is then filled, sealed and cut, while Omori teaches the forming of a web into a tube which is then filled, closed by pairs of spaced closure members and cut between the closure members constituting each pair thereof. It should be noted that in the packages formed by the methods as taught by Meissner and Omori the ends of each package are inevitably of identical form and, in particular, are both closed in the same manner. The present invention, on the other hand, is concerned with a method of packaging by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by a cross seal and at the other end by a removable, reusable closure member, each package thus being of a type in which the ends of the package are structurally differentiated. The end of each package which is closed by a closure member constitutes the top of the package and the end of each package which is closed by a cross seal constitutes the bottom of the package. Neither Meissner nor Omori teaches or suggests a method of forming such packages and, in particular, neither discloses such a method which utilizes the novel and advantageous concept of so forming the packages that, during the manufacture thereof, the end which constitutes the top of one package is adjacent to the end which constitutes the top of the next adjacent package, the end which constitutes the bottom of one package likewise being adjacent to the end which constitutes the bottom of the next adjacent package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention a method of packaging by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by -a cross seal and at the other end by a removable closure member, comprises the steps of forming a web of heat-scalable material into a substantially tubular casing by joining the adjacent edges of the material around a mandrel tube, cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel by means of sealing members situated at a first station and advancing the casing by advancing the sealing members to a second station and thence to a third station, the sealing members being in fixed engagement with the casing during this movement. The sealing members are then removed and are returned to the first station for again cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel. A first pre-determined quantity of material is introduced into the casing behind the sealing members, and a pair of spaced apart removable re-usable closure members are then so applied to the casing behind the surface of the first quantity of material that the closure members are at the second station during said return of the sealing members to the first station, a second predetermined quantity of material then being introduced into the casing behind the closure members before the sealing members again cross seal the casing in advance of the mandrel. The casing is severed through said cross seal area and between the spaced apart closure members.

According to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention a method of packaging, by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by a cross seal and at the other end by a removable re-usable closure member, comprising the steps of forming a web of heatsealable material into a substantially tubular casing by joining the adjacent edges of the material around a mandrel tube, cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel by means of sealing members situated at a first station, advancing the casing by advancing the mandrel until said cross sealed area is positioned at a second station, retracting the mandrel and introducing a first pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind the cross sealed area. The surface of the first quantity of material introduced into the casing is in advance of the first station. A pair of spaced apart removable closure members are applied to the casing at the first station and the casing is advanced by advancing the mandrel until the closure members are positioned at the second station. The mandrel is then retracted and a second pre-determined quantity of material is introduced into the casing behind the closure members, the surface of the second quantity of material introduced into the casing being in advance of the first station. The casing is severed through said cross sealed area and between the spaced apart closure members.

In both of these embodiments the casing between the closures may be heat-sealed either prior to or simultaneously with the severing operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and more readily carried into efiect the same will now, by way of example, be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a step according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURES 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are diagrammatic representations of the steps in the method according to the invention wherein a mandrel tube advances the tubular casing;

FIGURES 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d and 3e are diagrammatic representations of the steps in the method according to the invention wherein the sealing members advance the tubular casing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIGURE 1 a web of material of the type which seals itself upon the application of heat and/ or pressure is unwound from a roller 12 and is then provided with successive printed areas 14 which are illustrated, for example, in FIGURES 2b and 3b. In this step the web 10 is so printed that each area 14 is inverted with respect to the immediately preceding printed area. This may be effected by passing the web 10 of material over a printing roller 16 which has a pair of typeset 18 inverted with respect to each other. The length of each area 14 is less than, or at least no greater than, the length of a container with the result that the junctions 20 between adjacent areas 14 are such that the areas 14 are immediate or alternatively are spaced apart.

After the printing step the web 10 of material is then, with reference both to the embodiment illustrated in FIG- URES 2a-2d and to that illustrated in FIGURES Zia-3e, formed around a mandrel tube or former 22, the overlapping portions of the web 10 being sealed by a conventional sealer (not shown) thereby to form a substantially tubular casing 24 which extends in advance of the end of the mandrel tube 22, namely below the lower end of the tube 22 with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The next step comprises advancing the casing 24 a predetermined distance whereby the junction 20 between a pair of adjacent printed areas 14 is positioned for application of cross sealing members 26 or of a pair of spaced removable closures 28; filling takes place between each movement of the casing 24. The application of the cross sealing members 26 takes place at the junction 20 between a pair of adjacent areas 14, the lower of which is inverted with respect to the direction of filling, and the application of the removable closures 28 takes place between a pair of areas 14, the lower of which is upright with respect to the direction of filling. The remaining steps in the method will now be described first with reference to the embodiment in which the mandrel tube 22 moves the casing 24 and then with reference to the embodiment in which the sealing members 26 move the casing 24.

Referring to FIGURES 2a to 2d the mandrel 22 is retracted, in the casing 24, in an upward direction with reference to the illustrated embodiment, the retraction of the mandrel 22 being suflicient for the sealing members 26 which are positioned at a first station to move together and flatten the casing 24 (FIGURE 2a), thereby to effeet a cross seal at the junction 20 between a pair of printed areas 14, the lower of which is inverted. The sealing members 26 are then separated and the mandrel 22 is advanced, in a downward direction with reference to the illustrated embodiment, the mandrel 22 carrying with it the casing 24 to a position at which said junction 20 is at a second station and the next junction 20 between a pair of printed areas 14, the upper of which is inverted With respect to the lower, is disposed opposite the cross sealing members 26 (FIGURE 2b). At this stage the mandrel 22 is again retracted during which filling of the casing 24 with a measured or weighed quantity of material takes place to a position dictated by the position to which the printed area 14 extends from the cross seal, the mandrel being so retracted suflicient for a pair of closures 28 to be applied to said next junction 20 (FIGURE 20). The closures 28 are in spaced relation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the casing 24. The closures 28 may be of the spring operated joW or covered wire type or preferably of the type disclosed in the applicants US. Patent No. 3,264,698, issued on Aug. 9, 1966-.

The mandrel 22 is then again advanced carrying with it the casing 24 to a position at which the next junction 20 between a pair of printed areas 14 is disposed opposite the cross sealing members 26 (FIGURE 2d). Finally, the mandrel 22 is retracted in the casing 24 suflicient for the sealing members 26 to move together and flatten the casing 24 to eifect a cross seal at said next junction 20, filling again taking place, during this retraction of the mandrel 22, with a measured or weighed quantity of material behind the pair of closures 28 and to a position dictated by the position to which the printed area 14 extends from the closures 28. The condition is thus again that shown in FIGURE 2a and the process is repeated.

Referring now to FIGURES 3a to 3e which show the alternative manner of moving the casing 2 4 by means of the sealing members 26, the latter move together at a first station in advance of the fixed mandrel 22, namely below the fixed mandrel 22 with reference to the illustrated embodiment (FIGURE 3a). The casing 24 is thus flattened at the junction 20 and a cross seal is thereby effected. As the next step the sealing members 26 remain in fixed engagement with the casing 24 and are advanced, in a downward direction with reference to the illustrated embodiment, to a second station. The casing 24, while the members 26 are being so advanced is also advanced through an equal distance. The second station is so positioned that the next junction 20 between the printed areas 14 behind the cross seal is positioned at the first station when the cross seal is positioned at the second station. Filling of the casing 24 with a measured or weighed quantity of material takes place during the above movement of the members 26, this filling being completed when the sealing members 26 arrive at the second station.

As the next step the pair of closures 28 are applied to the casing 24 in spaced relation with respect to its longitudinal axis and behind the surface of the material. The closures 28 are applied (FIGURE 3b) at the first station vacated by the sealing members 26 and are preferably of a nature previously described herein.

As the next step the sealing members 26, while still in fixed engagement with the casing 24, are advanced to a third station to effect a further and similar predetermined movement of the casing 24; meanwhile filling with a measured or weighed quantity of material takes place behind the closures 28, this filling being completed when the sealing members 26 arrive at the third station (FIGURE 30).

As the final step the sealing members 26 are moved outwards from the casing 24 to effect their release and are returned to the first station (FIGURE 3d), the whole process then being repeated. FIGURE 3e shows the condition, corresponding to that shown in FIGURE 312, when the process is next performed.

Referring both to the manner of moving the casing 24 shown in FIGURES 2a to 2d and to the alternative manner of moving the casing 24 shown in FIGURES 3a to 3e cutting means 29 is provided to sever the casing 24 through each cross seal area and between each spaced pair of closures 28 thereby to form the individual containers.

In order to prevent unauthorized opening of the containers, removal of a portion of the contained product, and re-sealing of the containers, by simply removing and subsequently re-applying the mechanical closure, the end of each container which is presented by the severing of the casing 24 between the spaced apart closure members 28 is preferably provided with a heat seal which may be formed either prior to or simultaneously with the severing of the casing 24 to present said end of the container. Such containers have a greater potential commercial acceptability since they cannot, at any stage between the filling and sealing of the containers and the sale of the containers to the ultimate purchasers, be tampered with in the above manner by unauthorized persons without such tampering being evident to the ultimate purchaser. In addition, the end of such container adjacent to the mechanical closure has a neat appearance and is such that dirt and dust cannot accumulate therein during storage of the container.

To form such containers in which the end of each container presented by the severing of the casing 24 between the spaced apart closure members has a heat seal the cutting means 29, which is illustrated in block form in FIGURES 2b-2d and FIGURES 311-32 and which may be of conventional form, may with reference to the preferred embodiments of the method, be provided with heat sealing means so that when the cutting means 29 is operated to sever containers from the flexible casing 24 the end faces of the containers so formed are thereby, and substantially simultaneously, provided with a heat seal.

As will be understood, operation of the cutting means 29 to sever the casing 24 through the cross seal areas previously formed by the sealing members 26 serves merely to sever the containers since in this case the ends of the containers so formed have already been sealed although, of course, if the cross seal area formed by the members 26 is imperfect the cutting means 29 ensures that this imperfection in the sealing is removed. When, however, the cutting means 29 is used to sever the casing 24 between the spaced pair of closures 28 the heat sealing means associated with the cutting means 29 causes the ends of the containers so formed to be heat sealed so that even if the closures 28 are subsequently removed by unauthorized persons the product within the containers cannot be tampered with without breaking these heat seals which would, of course, be apparent to the ultimate purchasers of the containers.

Even if the ends of the containers adjacent to the closures 28 are not completely heat sealed by the action of the cutting means 29 the primary object of this development will nevertheless be achieved provided that the dimensions of any unsealed portion of this end of each container are such that the products within the container cannot be removed therefrom without increasing the dimensions of any such portion by partial opening of said end of the container. Furthermore, provided that the dimensions of any unsealed portion of said end of each container are as indicated above even accidental loss of a portion of the products within the container by sifting of the products from the container is prevented.

While the above description specifically refers to an arrangement in which the cutting means 29 is provided with the heat sealing means which serves to provide the end of each container adjacent to the closure 28 with a heat seal it is to be understood that said heat sealing means may be constituted by means distinct from the cutting means 29 and operable independently thereof, and that in this case said heat sealing means may be so arranged that it does not operate on the cross seal area formed by the members 26 but operates only to provide the ends of the containers adjacent to the closures 28 with heat seals. Alternatively, the cutting means 29 may be constituted by two separate cutting means, one of which is provided with heat sealing means and is operable only to sever the casing 24 between the pairs of closures 28 and to provide the ends which are thereby formed with heat seals while the other of which is not provided with heat sealing means and is operable only to sever the casing 24 through the cross seal areas formed by the members 26. Again, the cutting means 29 may be constituted by burnmg means in which case the casing 24 is severed by a burning operation which also provides heat for the cross and heat sealing of the ends which are thereby formed.

While certain embodiments have been illustrated and described for the purpose of disclosure, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but contemplates such modifications and other embodiments as may be utilized Without departing from the invention. For example, While in the embodiments of the invention which are hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing the areas 14 are printed immeditely before the web '10 of material is formed into the tubular casing 24 of the areas 14 may be printed on the web 10 in an earlier operation in which case the web 10, as it is unwound from the roller 12, is, of course, already printed. Furthermore, adjacent printedareas 14 need not be inverted relative to one another while, even in embodiments in which adjacent printed areas 14 are inverted relative to one another, this may be construed merely as indicating that adjacent areas 14 are disposed at to one another although in the preceding description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings the references to the areas 14 being inverted or upright relate to the direction in which the areas would normally be viewed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A method of packaging by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by a cross seal and at the other end by a removable closure member, the method comprising the steps of forming a web of sealable flexible material into a substantially continuous tubular casing around a mandrel tube, cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel by means of sealing members situated at a first station, advancing the casting by advancing the sealing members to a second station and thence to a third station, the sealing members being in fixed engagement with the casing during this movement, and removing the sealing members and returning them to the first station for again cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel; a first pro-determined quantity of material being introduced into the casing behind the sealing members, a pair of spaced apart removable closure members then being so applied to the casing behind the surface of the first quantity of material that the closure members are at the second station during said return of the sealing members to the first station, and a second pre-determined quanti;y of material then being introduced into the casing behind the closure members before the sealing members again cross seal the casing in advance of the mandrel, and the casing being severad through said cross seal area and between the spaced apart closure members.

2. A method of packaging by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by a cross seal and at the other end by a removable, re-usable closure member, the method comprising the steps of forming a web of sealable flexible material into a substantially tubular casing around a mandrel tube, cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel by means of sealing members situated at a first station, advancing the casing by advancing the sealing members to a second station, the sealing members being in fixed engagement with the easing during this movement, introducing a first pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind the sealing members, applying a pair of spaced apart removable re-usable closure members to the casing at the first station and behind the surface of the first quantity of material, advancing the casing by advancing the sealing members to a third station, the sealing members again being in fixed engagement with the casing during this movement, introducing a second pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind the closure members, removing the sealing members and returning them to the first station, and severing the casing through said cross seal area and between the spaced apart closure members.

3. A method of packaging by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by a cross seal and at the other end by a removable, re-usable closure member, the method comprising the steps of providing successive printed areas on a web of sealable flexible ma terial whereby each printed area is inverted with respect to the immediately preceding printed area, forming the web into a substantially tubular casing around a mandrel tube, cross sealing the casing at the junction of a first pair of printed areas in advance of the mandrel by means of sealing members situated at a first station, advancing the casing by advancing the sealing members to a second station whereby the next junction between the pair of printed areas immediately following said cross seal is positioned at the first station, the sealing members being in fixed engagement with the casing during this movement, introducing a first pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind the sealing members, applying a pair of spaced apart removable, re-usable closure members to said next junction and behind the surface of the first quantity of material, advancing the casing by advancing the sealing members to a third station, the sealing members again being in fixed engagement with the casing during this movement, introducing a second pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind the closure members, removing the sealing members and returning them to the first station, and severing the casing through said cross seal area and between the spaced apart closure members.

4. A method of packaging by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by a cross seal and at the other end by a removable, re-usable closure member, the method comprising the steps of forming a web of sealable flexible material into a substantially tubular casing around a mandrel tube, cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel by means of sealing members situated at a first station, advancing the casing by advancing the mandrel until said cross seal area is positioned at a second station, retracting the mandrel and introducing a first pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind said cross seal area, the surface of the first quantity of material introduced into the casing being in advance of the first station, applying a pair of spaced apart removable, re-usable closure members to the casing at the first station, advancing the casing by advancing the mandrel until the closure members are positioned at the second station, retracting the mandrel and introducing a second pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind the closure members, the surface of the second quantity of material introduced into the casing being in advance of the first station, and severing the casing through said cross seal area and between the spaced apart closure members.

5. A method of packaging by which the packages formed are each closed at one end by a cross seal and at the other end by a removable, re-usable closure member, the method comprising the steps of providing successive printed areas on a web of sealable flexible material whereby each printed area is inverted with respect to the immediately preceding printed area, forming the web into a substantially tubular casing around a mandrel tube, cross sealing the casing in advance of the mandrel at the junction of a first pair of printed areas by means of sealing members situated at a pre-determined station, advancing the casing by advancing the mandrel until the next junction, between the pair of printed areas immediately following said cross seal area, is positioned at said pre-determined station, retracting the mandrel and introducing a first predetermined quantity of material into the casing behind said cross seal area, the surface of the first quantity of material introduced into the casing being in advance of said pre-determined station, applying a pair of spaced apart removable, re-usable closure members to the casing at said next junction, advancing the casing by advancing the mandrel until the next junction, between the pair of printed areas immediately following the closure members, is positioned at said pre-determined station, retracting the mandrel and introducing a second pre-determined quantity of material into the casing behind the closure members, the surface of the second quantity of material introduced into the casing being in advance of said pre-determined station, and severing the casing through said cross seal area and between the spaced apart closure members.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the casing between the closure members is heat-sealed prior to or substantially simultaneously with severing of the casing.

7. A method according to claim 2 wherein the casing between the closure members is heat-sealed prior to or substantially simultaneously with severing of the casing.

8. A method according to claim 3 wherein the casing between the closure members is heat-sealed prior to or substantially simultaneously with severing of the casing.

9. A method according to claim 4 wherein the casing between the closure members is heat-sealed prior to or substantially simultaneously with severing of the casing.

10. A method according to claim 5 wherein the casing between the closure members is heat-sealed prior to or substantially simultaneously with severing of the casing.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,115,536 5/1968 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner E. F. DESMOND, Assistant Examiner US Cl. X.R. 53--28