WO1996023654A1

WO1996023654A1 - Method and apparatus for making containers for liquid or powdery products

Info

Publication number: WO1996023654A1
Application number: PCT/IB1996/000081
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gianpaolo Belloli
Original assignee: Gianpaolo Belloli
Priority date: 1995-01-30
Filing date: 1996-01-29
Publication date: 1996-08-08
Also published as: IT1278172B1; ITBO950027A1; ITBO950027A0; AU4399096A

Abstract

An apparatus for making of containers (1) for liquid or powdery products, particularly alimentary or chemical, comprises: a shearing station (3) for shearing the spooled material (2a) in strips (4); a blanking station (5) for blanking these latter in blanks (6) comprehensive of a hole (8); lifting means (26) for wrapping this blank on a parallelepipedal die (9) in cooperation with a reference (10), with movable gripping means (40) and with welding means (35) of the longitudinal edges (12) of the blank (6) conformed in the corresponding tubing (13); a line (15) for transporting this latter through a fixing station (16) for fixing a tongue (17) on the edges of the hole (8) and an applying station (18) for applying a cork (19a, 19b) to the borders of the hole (8); extracting means (20) for hooking each die (9) and for extracting it partially from the relative tubing (13) in order to make a bottom (22) in cooperation with second manipulating means (14) and with folding and welding means (21); a conveyor belt (24) for taking back each die (9), completely drawn out from the relative tubing (13), up to the lifting means (26).

Description

/23654 PCI7IB 96/00081

- 1 -

Method and apparatus for making containers for liquid or powdery products.

5 TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention fits into the technical sector concerning the packaging of liquid or powdery products, for both alimentary and non-alimentary use, 10 in relative containers.

Particularly the present invention refers to a method and to an apparatus for making of containers of parallelepipedal shape, suitable for liquid or powdery products, starting from a material co--.formed

15 as a tape, wrapped on a spool.

BACKGROUND ART

Some methods and apparatuses for the 0 continuously making of containers are currently known, starting from a spool of material mainly made of a polithenate light cardboard sometimes provided with a foil of aluminum interposed between the cardboard and the film of polithene. It is likewise 5 known the employment of flexible material initially spool-wrapped and mainly made of plastic material with or without the interposition of a foil of aluminum.

This apparatus comprises a feeding station in

30 which the material is unrolled from the spool and therefore it is folded up in a tubular shape, thanks to its passing above a so-called "tie", in a such way

CONFIRMATIONCOPV that the longitudinal edges are subsequently associable the one to the other both through thermal sealing that through sticking of the same, always with the tubing being moved longitudinally step by step.

The so formed tubing, normally prone to a transversal rectangular section, is therefore passed through a transversal welding station able to transversely "staple" the same tubing, in a such way to make its bottom.

In a subsequent station, a distributor of the product to package provides the immission in the tubing of the same product, while a subsequent transversal welding-cutting station arranges for shaping the container upper closing, so-called "beating bottom, " and simultaneously the bottom of the subsequent tubing.

Subsequent folding stations arrange for refolding and welding the bottom and the upper closing fins of the containe,r protruding from the outline of this latter that has often a parallelepipedal shape.

Recently such apparatuses are fed with spools of material already provided of equally spaced holes that constitute the supply hole for the container, once it has been formed. Immediately after the unrolling of the spooled material, members fit to apply, in a sealed way, a "warranty tongue" entirely covering each hole have been arranged in such apparatuses.

Such apparatuses are therefore provided with stations able to shape a tubing starting from the spooled material, to make therefore containers of parallelepipedal shape starting from said tubing, to fill them with the product to be packaged and finally to glue a cork to the edges of the tongue previously applied to each container so filled and sealed.

The most serious drawback of such apparatuses consists in that these latter are made through a sequence of stations rather complex in which these latter are not easily manageable, especially with regard to their synchronization.

A further drawback is that all of such apparatuses are too big in comparison with the packaging that they have to make and they therefore occupy an excessively vast productive space. They exist other methods and apparatuses for the packaging of products in parallelepipedal shaped containers, based on opening a tubular blank supplied in a flattened shape. By means of such apparatuses it is possible to make containers that are functionally and aesthetically better than those made with the preceding apparatuses, because such containers mainly present an extremely flat bottom and an upper closing so-called " with a central fin", with their side brims sloping toward the outside of the same container. This closing is extremely advantageous because it could be easily manually opened without using any cutting means for opening the relative container.

Such apparatuses comprise a station fit to collect the blanks, preformed to a tubular shape and stacked in a flattened configuration, from a store. These last are opened to a carton configuration using known members and techniques, and they are therefore prevalently placed on dies fixed to a rotating head in a such way that they always maintain their erect parallelepipedal shape and that the activation of manipulating members involves folding the fins of the container bottom until the intervention of welding members make the mutual joining with the consequent making of the sealed bottom of the same container. At this point, further manipulating members provide to unthread the container from the relative die and to insert it between the prongs of a chain for feeding the erect containers to a station for filling the same containers When the filling is completed, the flaps of the upper heading of each container are suitably refolded and welded in a such way to determine the hermetic closing of this latter.

Such apparatuses have been recently equipped with proper positioning and welding means destined to join a distributor, in a sealing way, to each container before the filling phase. This operation is otherwise made depending on the type of distributor to apply.

The distributors provided of a screw cork couplable to a hub are joined to each relative container by means of ultrasonic thermal sealing of the external collar of each hub with the inside wall of the material of which the container is made, at a position corresponding to the supply hole of this latter.

This type of distributor, however, is extremely expensive because it is composed of two parts: a cork and a hub both threaded and initially joined and held in this position by interposing a "warranty collar ", that is tearable when the first uncoupling of the cork from the hub comes. The distributors that comprise a "hinged cork" also comprise a base to which is hinged a cover able to tightly couple with this latter. Such base is normally glued near the external edge of each supply hole, of which each container is provided. The main drawback in applicating this distributor in that the glue or the glue vapors penetrate in the hole and thus they go into the container, thus polluting its content.

A drawback of this apparatuses consists in that in this case too, applying the distributor drastically reduces the productivity of the whole apparatus. The application of the distributor is made only on a container per each machine cycle, thus raising the time required for making a single container.

A further drawback of such apparatuses consists in that they must be fed exclusively with flattened preformed tubular blanks that, quite because these are preformed, they cost in proportion notably more than the containers directly made starting from the spools of raw material and they must be always opened to a carton configuration before to be used by suitable members of the apparatus which, in this way, results more and more complex from a construction point of view. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to propose a method and an apparatus for making of containers for liquid or powdery products able to make, with an high productivity, containers of parallelepipedal shape, having a flattened bottom and an upper closing with a central fin, starting from a tape of a spool wrapped material. A further object of the invention is to apply a cork, or a tongue and a cork, to each container, while maintaining unchanged the high productivity of the machine itself.

Another object is to propose a simple and effective method for making of sealed containers and an apparatus which is conceptually simple, of easy making, of easy maintenance and of high productivity. The above mentioned objects are achieved, according to the claims contents, by a method and an apparatus for making of containers 1 for liquid or powdery products, particularly of alimentary or chemical type, starting from a tape of spool-wrapped material, comprising the steps of: unrolling a tape 2 of material initially wrapped on a spool 2a; forwarding said tape 2 on a conveyor 30; transversely chopping off said tape to obtain a series of strips 4; making on each strip 8 a hole 4 and lines of bead 7, respectively longitudinal 7a, transversal 7b and oblique 7c to form a blank 6; feeding a series of dies 9, each of which being destinated to match each relative cited blank 6 in a such way that this latter is wrapped on the cited die 9 by means of the folding of the blank 6 along the central lines of longitudinal bead 7a in cooperation with a reference 10 and subsequently along the external lines of longitudinal bead 7a by means of first manipulating means 11 up to the overlap of the longitudinal edges 12 of said blank 6; welding said longitudinal edges 12 , thus making a tubing 13 wrapped on the cited die 9; releasing each of said tubing 13 on a transport line 15; applying a cork 19a or 19b to the borders of said hole 8; hook said die 9 through extracting means 20; bilaterally grabbing said tubing 13 through second manipulating means 1 ; partially unthreading said die 9 from the cited tubing 13, by the part close to the cited cork 19; activating folding means 21 able to make the bottom 22 of the cited tubing 13 by folding the end of this latter which is not interested by the cited die 9 according to the cited lines of transversal bead 7b and of oblique bead 7c; welding the faced and free edges 23 of the cited bottom 22 and glue them to the external wall of this latter, so that the cited deep 22 results almost flat; completely extracting the cited die 9 from the cited tubing 13 and placing it on a conveyor belt 24 able to take back each of said dies 9 beneath a further relative blank 6; erecting said tubing 13 by means of the support of each relative deep 22 on a transport line destined to remove the so made cited containers 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention are underlined in the following, with reference to attached drawing tables, in which:

- the figure 1 illustrates an axonometry view of the apparatus which is the object of the invention, in which the operational phases for making of containers are schematized;

- the figure 2 illustrates a plain view of the blank used for making each container; the figure 3 illustrates a side view of a first pusher of the apparatus during a forming-folding phase of the blank of the container;

- the figures 4 and 5 illustrate the sequence for the subsequent closing in a tubular shape of the refolded blank; - the figure 6 illustrates the positioning of the blank in tubular configuration on a conveyor belt;

- the figure 7 illustrates an axonometry view of the container heading to which a tongue of sealing has been applied; - the figure 8 illustrates the container of figure 7 to the edges of the tongue to which a cork has been applied;

- the figure 9 illustrates an axonometry view of the heading of the container to which the hub of a screw cork has been applied,- the figures 10a and 10b respectively illustrate a sectioned side view of the die in a phase of hookup by means of an extractor and in a phase of partial unthreading of the die from the tubing; - the figure 11 illustrates a sectional view of the die and of the tubing according to the plan XI-XI of figure 10a; - the figures from 12 to 15 illustrate the phases of folding, welding and sticking of the bottom of the container;

- the figures from 16 to 18 illustrate an axonometry view of the container bottom during the phases of formation of the same relatively to a second embodiment of the same bottom; the figure 19 illustrates an axonometry view of a tightly closed container to which a tongue cork has been applied; the figure 20 illustrates an axonometry view of a hermetically closed container to which a hub-screw cork has been applied;

- the figure 21 illustrates a plain view of the blank made in a second embodiment of the apparatus of figure 1; the figures 22 to 26 illustrate the sequence for making of stiffening flanks on the blank;

- the figure 27 illustrates a side view of the blank provided with the stiffening flanks; the figures 28 to 31 illustrate the sequence for the subsequent closing to a tubular configuration of the blank of figure 27.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to figure 1, numeral 100 indicates an apparatus for making of containers 1 for liquid or powdery products, particularly alimentary or chemical products.

Such containers 1 present a parallelepipedal shape, as it is evident from figures 19 and 20, and they have equipped with a bottom 22 and with a heading 32, that are made by two sloping brims 32a whose free ends 31 are centrally joined to shape a sort of fin. The apparatus 100 comprises the sequential step by step formation of containers 1 starting from a tape 2 of material wrapped in a spool 2a. This latter is progressively unrolled through known and not illustrated unrolling devices, moreover providing to position this tape 2 on a flat conveyor 30, illustrated in the figures 2 and 3, that feed the tape 2 to a shearing station 3 fit to chop off a series of strips 4 of material from the tape itself.

Downstream to this shearing station a blanking station 5 is set, destinated to cut in a predetermined series of lines of bead 7 on each strip 4, respectively longitudinal 7a, transversal 7b and oblique 7c. Besides, this blanking station 5 makes a hole 8 on a first end of each strip 4 in a such way to transform this latter in a blank 6, as detailed in figure 2.

Downstream to the blanking station 5 lifting means 26 are positioned, beneath the conveyor 30. These last could reach two extreme conditions, respectively a lowered extreme condition CC and a raised extreme condition AA. During their passing from the lowered condition CC to the raised condition AA, which are represented in the figures 3 and 4 from the arrow A, the lifting means 26 first intercepts a parallelepipedal die 9, previously withdrawn in known and not illustrated way by the same means from a conveyor belt 24 moved in contrary direction with respect to that of the conveyor 30. Subsequently, when the conveyor 30 is stopped, the upper surface of the die 9 lifted from such means 26 intercepts and lifts a blank 6, opportunely and previously positioned over the relative die 9. Going on in its run, the lifting means 26 forcedly inserts the blank 6 and the underlying die 9 between the prongs 10a of a reference 10, corresponding to a intermediary condition BB of the lifting means 26 as underlined in figure 3, provoking the partial folding of the same blank in contact with the die 9 along the longitudinal central bead lines 7a, up to carry the die 9 and the blank 6, which is refolded on it, over and out of the reference 10. This operation is easily made because the prongs 10a, just next to the mouth of the reference 10, are refolded toward the outside of the same reference, constituting a kind of invitation for the forced insertion of the blank 6 and of the die 9. The figure 4 clearly illustrates the raised extreme condition AA of the lifting means 26 that carry the die 9 with the blank 6 set just next to moving gripping means 40, placed over the reference 10, and able to grab in a bilateral way the blank 6 and the underlying die 9 through pistons 36 moved according to the B arrows of figure 4. Such gripping means 40 is besides equipped with first manipulating means 11 that, moved according to the D arrows of figure 5, is able to refold the longitudinal free flaps 27 of the blank 6 according to the longitudinal external beads 7a up to overlap the relative longitudinal edges 12 one with respect to the other, in a phase relationship with the return of the lifting means 26 in the lowered extreme condition CC. In figure 5 the positioning of welding means 35 is besides illustrated, according to the succession of movements as indicated by the arrows E and F, which are able to weld the longitudinal edges 12 of the blank 6, thus forming a tubing 13 having rectangular section, as illustrated in figure 6.

The figures 4. 5 and 6 illustrate the gripping means 40 hooked to a carriage 33 fit to slide along longitudinal guides 34 that are parallel to the conveyor 20, according to the verse indicated by the G arrow of figure 6.

In this latter figure, a transport line 15 of known type is besides illustrated, between whose prong 15a is located each tubing 13 wrapped on the cited die 9, thanks to the support of these last by means of a piston means 41, to the release of the tubing 13 by means of the gripping means 40, by means of the leaving of the pistons 36 according to the H arrow, and of the subsequent lowering of the piston means 41 beneath of the transport line 15, according to the verse indicated by the L arrow of figure 6.

The handling of the upper branch of the transport line 15 according to the verse indicated by the M arrow of figure 6, determine the passing of each tubing 13 and of its associated die 9 to an application station 18, see figure 1, located over the transport line 15 and able to fix, by means of welding or sticking, a cork 19a, 19b, respectively of the tongue or screw type, to the borders of the hole 8 of the tubing 13 like it is respectively illustrated in figures 8 and 9.

In the case in which a cork 19a of the tongue type must be welded or glued to the tubing 13, the apparatus 100 is besides equipped with a fixing station 16 for fixing a tongue 17 to the edges of the hole 8, see figure 7, located upstream to the applying station 18for applying the cork 19a. The tongue 17 and the inside span of the cork 19a have dimensions that don't interfere at all in the relative phases of application; particularly the light 19a has greater dimensions as regards the tongue.

At this point it has to be noted that both such fixing station 16 and applying station 18 could be grouped into a unique station, and the apparatus 100 can also have a series of those, in order to create no deceleration in the productive cycle of the same apparatus.

Referring now to the figures 10a, 11 and 10b, the apparatus 100 is provided with extracting means 20, constituted by a piston 34 axially supporting a pair of opposed hooks 37 with possibility for these latter to mutually outdistance, according to not illustrated known techniques. Such extracting means 20 is able to alternately hook each die 9 thanks to the handling of the piston 34 according to the direction of the P arrow of figure 10a, so that the coupled hooks 37 enter a proper center 38 drawn in the heading 39 of the die 9 previously located near the hole 8 of the blank 6, and thanks to the mutual radial leaving of the hooks 37, according to the N arrows of figure 10a, up to the complementary joint - 14 -

of these latter in the recess 42 of which each housing 38 is provided.

The grip on the opposed sides walls of the tubing 13 by seconds manipulating means 14, (see figure 11) according to the direction of the R arrow, allows the die 9 to unthread from the tubing 13, through the handling of the piston 34 according to the direction indicated by the Q arrow of figure 10b. In this last figure the extraction of the die 9 from the tubing 13 is partial and it is such that the inside transversal bead line 7b is coplanar with the corresponding free surface 9a of the die 9 in order to allow the making of the tubing 13 bottom 22 by means of folding and welding means 21, known and not illustrated.

Pratically this latter means 21 is able to fold up the end portion of the tubing 13 which is not interested by the die 9 according to the lines of transversal bead 7b and of oblique bead 7c, as it is illustrated in figure 12, to weld the faced and free edges 23 of the bottom 22, see figure 13, and to glue these last to the external surface of the bottom 22 thanks to a glue 29 sprinkled by distributing means 28 positioned near the welded edges 23, as it is clearly illustrated in figures 14 and 15.

In the figures 16, 17 and 18 they are illustrated the phases of folding and of sticking the bottom 22 of the tubing 13 according to a second embodiment of the same bottom, that has its side wings capsized and glued to the same bottom, as it is known from the actual technique.

With reference to the figure 1 now, once the bottom 22 is formed, the die 9 is completely drawn out from the tubing 13, this latter is erect in known manner and it is placed by the bottom 22 on a transport line, not illustrated, destinated to the handling of the containers so obtained toward the further container filling and closing stations, functionally combined with the apparatus 100, which are known and not illustrated.

Each die 9 drawn out from the relative tubing 13 by means of the extracting means 20 is released from these latter on a conveyor belt 24, positioned beneath the same extracting means, which is able to take back each die 9 just next to the cited lifting means 26, in order to start a new cycle for forming a relative tubing 13 starting from a flattened blank 6. The figures from number 21 at 31 illustrate a second embodiment of the apparatus 100.

The modifications that have been made to this latter, as regards the preferred embodiment, have been made in order to make containers 1 starting from a spool wrapped flexible material, and that is by using an "initially limp" and not "semi-rigid" material like, for instance, the polithenate light cardboard used in the feeding of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus 100.

The blanking station 5 of this latter comprises the making of a blank 6 similar to that detailed in figure 2, but in which however, see figure 21, each line of longitudinal bead 7a is double and in which besides two lines of longitudinal marginal bead 7d have been made near the longitudinal borders 23a of the blank 6. The apparatus 100 of this second embodiment comprises forming means 50 able to act on each blank 6 in a such way to make in that, just next to the longitudinal beads 7a, a series of flanks of longitudinal stiffening 47, both central 47a and extreme 47b, that protrud from the plan identified by the same blank.

Such forming means 50 is mainly constituted by a series of members, respectively first 51, second 55, third 60 and fourth 65.

The first member 51 comprises first stapling-welding means 52 associated, for instance hinged, to a first movable reference 53 that, through known and not illustrated actuators, acting according to the direction of the S arrow of figure 22, it is supported on the upper surface of the blank 6 in a such way that its longitudinal external edges 54 is set just next to the lines of longitudinal central bead 7a nearer to the line of centre line of the same blank.

The second member 55 comprises pressing means 56 that, moved from known and not illustrated actuators according to the direction of the T arrow of figure 22, that are able to lean on the lower surface of the blank 6 in a such way to lock, in cooperation with the first movable reference 53, the area of the same blank which is included between the aforesaid lines of longitudinal central bead 7a. Besides, such second member 55 is provided of a first pair of movable rostrums 58 able to be moved from actuators, known and not illustrated, respectively between a first non-operative position I and an operative position O PCMB96/00081

- 17 -

in which the rostrums 58 present their relative headings 59 beneath the blank 6 and at the movable reference 53 on the opposite side as regards the blank, and in which the same headings 59 overcome the plan on which the blank 6 is held jammed.

The rostrums 58, during their passing from the they first non-operative position I to the operative one 0, curl the blank 6 just next to each line of longitudinal bead 7a adjacent to the longitudinal external edges 54 of the movable reference 53. Such curlings 57 (see figures 23 and 25) are made possible thanks to the sliding of the free portions of the blank 6 from his longitudinal end toward the center, like it is indicated by the SS arrows of figure 23. At this point, the longitudinal flanks of stiffening 47a are made, by means of the cooperation between the first stapling-welding means 52, which is progressively approached to the curlings 57 through known and not illustrated means, and according to the direction indicated by the Z arrows of figure 24, and the progressive unthreading of the rostrums 58 from the same curlings during their passing from their first operative position O to the non-operative one I. The first stapling-welding means 52 provides therefore to press such curlings 57 against the side longitudinal walls of the first movable reference 53 until that provokes a thermal sealing between the inside walls of each curling in a such way to make the desired flanks of longitudinal central stiffening 47a.

It should be noted, at this point, that the stapling-welding means 52 are facilitated, in the PCI7IB96/00081

- 18 -

making of the corresponding flanks of stiffening 47a, because the base of these latter starts just next to a pair of lines of longitudinal blanking 7a.

The third member 60 comprises a second stapling-welding means 61 which are associated, for instance hinged, to a second movable reference 62 that is placed on the upper surface of the blank 6, through the activation of known and not illustrated means according to the direction indicated by the X arrows of figure 25, in a such way that the longitudinal external edges 63 of such movable reference 62 to be set just next to the lines of longitudinal bead 7a of the pair of external lines still free and nearer to the line of centre line of the blank 6.

The fourth member 65 comprises a second pair of movable rostrums 66 that are moved, by means of known and not illustrated members, according to the Y arrows of figure 25 and W of figure 26 respectively from a their non-operative position WW to an operative one YY and vice versa.

In the non-operative position WW, the heading 67 of each second rostrum 66 is placed beneath the blank 6 and on the opposite side as regards this latter of the second reference 62, while in the operational position YY the heading 67 of each rostrum 66 overcomes the plan on which the blank 6 is held locked.

During the passing from the non-operative position WW to the operative one YY, such rostrums 66 are able to curl the blank 6, corresponding to each line of longitudinal bead 7a adjacent to the longitudinal external edges 63 of the second reference 62.

The flanks of extreme stiffening 47b are therefore made by means of the cooperation and in phase relationship between the seconds stapling-welding means 61 that press the curlings 57 against the side longitudinal walls of the second movable reference 62 just at the passing of the movable rostrums 66 from the operative position YY to the non-operative one WW, according to a movement in the direction of the W arrows of figure 26.

Such seconds stapling-welding members 61 continue, in the same way to the first stapling-welding members 52, to press such curlings 57 against the side longitudinal walls of the second movable reference 62 until it provokes a thermal sealing between the inside walls of each curling so that the desired flanks of longitudinal extreme stiffening 47b are made, each of whose bases are originated from a pair of lines 7a of longitudinal external blanking.

At this point the blank 6 takes the shape of a shaped blank 6' illustrated in figure 27 just next to the simple leaving of the first and seconds stapling-welding members 52, 61 from the relative flanks of stiffening 47a, 47b, and of the pressing means 56 and of the first and second movable reference 53 and 62 from the surface of the same blank, and of its consequent release on the conveyor 30.

The apparatus 100, according to this second embodiment, presents gripping means 40 that, as regards to the preferred embodiment and with reference to the figures from the 28 at 31, comprise handling-welding means 111 fit to refold the side free flaps 27 of the blank 6 on the lower wall of the die 9, along the inside edges of the extreme flanks of stiffening 47b.

Such handling-welding means 111 is, for instance, hinged to the gripping means 40, and rotating according to the directions indicated by the DD arrows of figure 29, not only it refolds the flaps 27 on the lower wall of the die 9 just next to the return of the lifting means 26 to their lowered extreme condition CC but, in cooperation with folding means 135, previously positioned by known and not illustrated actuators just next to the centre line of the lower wall of the die 9 and at proper distance from this latter, it is able to enervate the longitudinal edges 12 of the blank along the lines of longitudinal marginal bead 7d. Therefore, the activation in a phase relationship between the folding means 135 and the handling-welding means 111 involves the mutual facing of the longitudinal edges 12 interposed between the welding plates 112, of which such last means is provided, just next to the attainment of the lower wall of the die 9 by the handling-welding means 111, with interposition of the flaps 27 of the blank 6.

The handling-welding means 111 is therefore able to move the welding plates 112 according to the direction of the J arrows of figure 30 and it is therefore able to activate these latter in order to weld, for instance by means of thermal sealing, the longitudinal edges 12 of the blank 6 in a such way to define a correspondent tubing 13.

Unhooking of such plates 112 from the now welded edges 12 and the leaving of the handling-welding means from these latter allows the folding means 135 to be moved by means of actuators known and not illustrated according to the K arrow of figure 31, in a such way to reach and therefore to capsize the mutually joined longitudinal edges 12 on the external lower wall of the tubing 13.

The consequent leaving of such folding means from the edges 12 allows the apparatus 100 to proceed with the making of each container 1 as it has been illustrated already in the preferred embodiment. The main advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for making of containers for liquid or powdery products, able to make containers of parallelepipedal shape, with the flattened bottom and with its upper closing with central fin, starting from a tape of spool-wrapped material.

A further advantage of the invention is to supply an apparatus able to apply a cork or a tongue and a cork to each container while maintaining unchanged the high productivity of the same apparatus.

A further advantage consists of giving an apparatus and a method able to make containers able to stand up by themselves, both whether the material which is used for their making is semi-rigid or flexible.

Another advantage is to give a simple and effective method for making of sealed containers and to give an apparatus which is constructively simple, of easy making, of easy maintenance and able to satisfy an high productivity need. The subject invention has been obviously described, with reference to the attached drawings, for exemplifying and not limitative purposes, and it is therefore evident that it is possible to apply to it all of those modifications or variations suggested by the practice and by its realization and use, however included in the field defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. Method for making of containers 1 for liquid or powdery products, particularly of alimentary or chemical type, starting from a semi-rigid material, characterised in that it comprises the steps of: unrolling a tape 2 of material initially wrapped on a spool 2a; forwarding said tape 2 on a conveyor 30; transversely chopping off said tape to obtain a series of strips 4; making on each strip 8 a hole 4 and lines of bead 7, respectively longitudinal 7a, transversal 7b and oblique 7c to form a blank 6; feeding a series of dies 9, each of which being destinated to match each relative cited blank 6 in a such way that this latter is wrapped on the cited die 9 by means of the folding of the blank 6 along the central lines of longitudinal bead 7a in cooperation with a reference 10 and subsequently along the external lines of longitudinal bead 7a by means of first manipulating means 11 up to the overlap of the longitudinal edges 12 of said blank 6; welding said longitudinal edges 12 , thus making a tubing 13 wrapped on the cited die 9; releasing each of said tubing 13 on a transport line 15; applying a ccrk 19a or 19b to the borders of said hole 8; hook said die 9 through extracting means 20; bilaterally grabbing said tubing 13 through second manipulating means 14; partially unthreading said die 9 from the cited tubing 13, by the part close to the cited cork 19; activating folding means 21 able to make the bottom 22 of the cited tubing 13 by folding the end of this latter which is not interested by the cited die 9 according to the cited lines of transversal bead 7b and of oblique bead 7c,^• welding the faced and free edges 23 of the cited bottom 22 and glue them to the external wall of this latter, so that the cited deep 22 results almost flat; completely extracting the cited die 9 from the cited tubing 13 and placing it on a conveyor belt 24 able to take back each of said dies 9 beneath a further relative blank 6; erecting said tubing 13 by means of the support of each relative deep 22 on a transport line destined to remove the so made cited containers 1.

2. Method for making of containers 1 for liquid or powdery products, particularly alimentary or chemical, starting from a flexible material, characterised in that it comprises: unrolling a tape 2 of material initially wrapped on a spool 2a; forwarding 30 said tape 2 on a conveyor; transversely chopping off said tape in order to obtain a series of strips 4; making on each strip 4 a hole 8, together with lines of bead 7, respectively longitudinal 7a, transversal 7b, oblique 7c and marginal longitudinal 7d to form a blank 6; forming a series of flanks of stiffening 47, both central 47a and extreme 47b, close to the corresponding cited lines of longitudinal bead 7a; feeding a series of dices 9, each of which is destinated to match each relative cited blank 6 in a way to wrap this latter on the cited die 9 by means of the first folding of the blank 6 along inner edges defined by the cited longitudinal central flanks 47a in cooperation with a reference 10 and subsequently along the inside edges of the cited longitudinal extreme flanks 47b, by means of first manipulating means 11, up to fold the longitudinal edges 12 of said blank 6 along the cited lines of longitudinal marginal bead 7d in a such way that said longitudinal edges 12 are faced the one with respect to the other; welding said longitudinal edges 12, thus making a tubing 13 wrapped on the cited die 9; capsizing said longitudinal edges 12 on the external wall of the cited tubing 13; releasing each of said tubings 13 on a transport line 15; applying a cork 19a or 19b to the borders of said hole 8; hooking said die 9 by means of extracting means 20; bilaterally grabbing said tubing 13 by means of second manipulating means 14; partial]y unthreading said die 9 from the cited tubing 13, from its part close to the cited cork 19; activating folding means 21 able to make the bottom 22 of the cited tubing 13 by folding the end of this latter which is not interested by the cited die 9, according to the cited lines of transversal bead 7b and oblique bead 7c; welding the faced and free edges 23 of the cited bottom 22 and glue them to the external wall of this latter, so that the cited bottom 22 is almost flat; completely extracting the cited die 9 from the cited tubing 13 and placing it on a conveyor belt 24 able to take back each of said dices 9 beneath a further relative blank 6; erecting said tubing 13 by means of the support of each relative bottom 22 on a transport line destined to remove the so made cited containers 1.

3. Method according to claim 1 or to claim 2, characterised in that it moreover comprises the fixing of a tongue 17 to the edges of the cited hole 8 before the cited cork 19a is applied to the borders of the same hole.

4. Apparatus for making of containers 1 for liquid or powdery products, particularly alimentary or chemical, being said containers 1 shaped as a parallelepiped provided with a bottom 22 and with a heading 32 and sequentially formed starting from a tape 2 of spool-wrapped semi-rigid material 2a and unrolled on a flat conveyor 30, said apparatus being characterized in that it comprises: a shearing station 3 fit to chop off a series of strips 4 from the tape 2 of material; a blanking station 5 fit to etch a predetermined series of lines of bead 7 on each of said strips 4, respectively longitudinal 7a, transversal 7b and oblique 7c, and to make a hole 8 just next to a first end of each cited strip 4 thus defining a blank 6, - lifting means 26 that, when placed beneath the cited conveyor 30, while proceeding from a lowered extreme condition CC to a raised extreme condition AA, they first intercept a parallelepipedal die 9, therefore a cited blank 6 in a such way to lift it and forcedly insert it between the prongs 10a of a reference 10, just next to an intermediary condition BB of the cited lifting means 26, with partial folding of the same blank in contact with the cited die 9 along the central longitudinal lines of bead 7a, up to carry the cited die 9 and the blank 6, refolded on said die 9, over the cited reference 10; movable gripping means 40 placed over the cited reference 10, able to grip in a bilateral way the cited blank 6 partially refolded on the cited die 9, just next to the cited raised extreme condition AA of the cited lifting means 26, said gripping means 40 also comprising manipulating means 11 for refolding the free side flaps 27 according to the external longitudinal lines of bead up to overlap one with respect to the other the longitudinal edges 12 of the cited blank 6 in a phase relationship with the return of the cited lifting means 26 to the cited lowered extreme condition CC and with the reference with welding means 35, able to weld the cited longitudinal edges 12 of the cited blank 6 to define a corresponding tubing 13 having rectangular section; at least a transport line 15 between whose prongs 15a each cited tubing 13, wrapped on the cited die 9, is placed by means of transferring members 41; at least an applying station 18 placed over said transport line 15, able to fix a cork 19a, 19b, respectively of the tongue type or of the screw type, to the borders of the cited hole 8. extracting means 20 for hooking each cited die 9, cooperating with seconds manipulating means 14, that grab in a bilateral way the opposed external walls of the cited tubing 13, for extracting the cited die from this latter; folding and welding means 21 for make the bottom 22 of the cited tubing 13 by means of folding the end portion of this latter not interested from the cited die 9 according to the cited lines of transversal bead 7b and of oblique bead 7c corresponding to a condition of partial extraction of the cited die 9 from the cited tubing 13, sticking the raised and free edges 23 of the cited bottom 22, and sticking these last to the external surface of the cited bottom 22 thanks to a glue 29 sprinkled by distributing means 28 in proximity of the cited welded edges 23; a conveyor belt 24 placed beneath the cited extracting means 20, able to take back each cited die 9 completely drawn out from each relative cited tubing 13 by said extracting means 20, just next to the cited lifting means 26.

5. Apparatus for the making of containers 1 for liquid or powdery products, particularly alimentary or chemical, being said containers 1 shaped as a parallelepiped pouch, provided with a bottom 22 and with a heading 32 and sequentially formed starting from a tape 2 of spool-wrapped flexible material 2a and unrolled on a flat conveyor 30, said apparatus being characterized in that it comprises: a shearing station 3 fit to chop off a series of strips 4 from the tape 2 of material; a blanking station 5 fit to etch a predetermined series of lines of bead 7 on each of said strips 4, respectively longitudinal 7a, transversal 7b , oblique 7c and longitudinal-marginal 7d, and to make a hole 8 just next to a first end of each cited strip 4 thus defining a blank 6; forming means 50, able to act on each cited blank 6 in a such way to make, just next to the cited longitudinal beads 7a, a series of flanks of longitudinal stiffening 47, both central 47a and extreme 47b, protruding from the plan defined by the cited blank 6; lifting means 26 that, when placed beneath the cited conveyor 30, while proceeding from a lowered extreme condition CC to a raised extreme condition AA, they first intercept a parallelepipedal die 9, therefore a cited blank 6 in a such way to lift it and forcedly insert it between the prongs 10a of a reference 10, just next to an intermediary condition BB of the cited lifting means 26, with partial folding of the same blank in contact with the cited die 9 along the inside edges defined by the cited flanks of central stiffening 47a, up to carry the cited die 9 and the blank 6, refolded on said die 9, over the cited reference 10; movable gripping means 40 placed over the cited reference 10, able to grip in a bilateral way the cited blank 6 partially refolded on the cited die 9, just next to the cited raised extreme condition AA of the cited lifting means 26, said gripping means 40 also comprising handling-welding means 111, fit to refold the side free flaps 27 on the lower wall of the cited die 9, along the inside edges of the cited extreme flanks of stiffening 47b, and to refold, in cooperation with folding means 135 and along the cited lines of longitudinal marginal bead 7d, the longitudinal edges 12 of said blank 6 in a such way that these latter are faced just at the attainment of the cited lower wall of the die 9 by the cited free flaps 27, said folding means 135 and said handling-welding means 111 being operated in a phase relationship with the return of the cited lifting means 26 when they are in the cited lowered extreme condition CC, in a such way that the cited handling-welding means 111 is able to weld the cited longitudinal edges 12 of the cited blank 6, thus defining a corresponding tubing 13, and the cited folding means 135 is able to capsize the cited joined edges 12 on the external wall of the cited tubing 13; at least a transport line 15 between whose prongs 15a each cited tubing 13, wrapped on the cited die 9, is placed by means of transferring members 41; at least an applying station 18 placed over said transport line 15, able to fix a cork 19a, 19b, respectively of the tongue type or of the screw type, to the borders of the cited hole 8. extracting means 20 for hooking each cited die 9, cooperating with seconds manipulating means 14, that grab in a bilateral way the opposed external walls of the cited tubing 13, for extracting the cited die from this latter; folding and welding means 21 for make the bottom 22 of the cited tubing 13 by means of folding the end portion of this latter not interested from the cited die 9 according to the cited lines of transversal bead 7b and of oblique bead 7c corresponding to a condition of partial extraction of the cited die 9 from the cited tubing 13, sticking the raised and free edges 23 of the cited bottom 22, and sticking these last to the external surface of the cited bottom 22 thanks to a glue 29 sprinkled by distributing means 28 in proximity of the cited welded edges 23; a conveyor belt 24 placed beneath the cited extracting means 20, able to take back each cited die

9 completely drawn out from each relative cited tubing 13 by said extracting means 20, just next to the cited lifting means 26.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5 characterized in that it moreover comprises at least a fixing station 16, for fixing a tongue 17 to the edges of the cited hole 8, placed upstream to the cited applying station 18 for applying the cited cork 19a, with this latter not interfering with the cited tongue 17, being its inside span bigger as regards the cited tongue 17.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said forming means 50 comprises: a first member 51 provided with first folding-welding means 52 combined with a first movable reference 53 fit to match the upper surface of the cited blank 6 in a such way that its longitudinal external edges 54 are set just next to a central pair of the cited longitudinal beads 7a; a second member 55 provided of pressing means 56 fit to contact the lower surface of the cited blank 6 in a such way to lock, in cooperation with the cited first movable reference 53, the area of the same blank included between the cited central pair of longitudinal beads 7a, being said second member 55 moreover provided with at least a first movable rostrum 58 that, during its passing from a first non-operative position I, in which its heading 59 is placed beneath the cited blank 6, to a first operative position 0, in which its cited heading 59 overcomes the plan on which the cited blank 6 is held locked, it is able to make at least a curling 57 of the cited blank 6, just next to each cited longitudinal external edge 54, in a such way to make corresponding flanks of central stiffening 47a, on activating the cited first folding-welding means 52 able to embody the faced inner walls 57 of each cited curling, thanks to the pressing of these last against the side longitudinal walls of the cited first movable reference 53, just next to the passing of the cited first rostrum 58 from the cited first operative position I to the cited non-operative one O; a third member 60 provided with seconds folding-welding means 61 associated to a second movable reference 62 fit to match the upper surface of the cited blank 6 in a such way that its longitudinal external edges 63 are placed just next to an extreme pair of the cited longitudinal beads 7a. a fourth member 65 provided with at least a second movable rostrum 66 that, during the passing from a non-operative extreme position WW, in which its heading 67 is placed beneath the cited blank 6, to an operating position YY, in which its cited heading 67 overcomes the plan on which the cited blank 6 is held locked, it is able to make a further curling 57 of the cited blank 6, just next to each cited external longitudinal edge 63, in a such way to make corresponding extreme flanks of stiffening 47b thanks to the activation of the cited second folding-welding means 61, that is able to embody the inner faced walls 57 of each cited curling thanks to the pressure of these latter against the side longitudinal walls of the cited second movable reference 62, just at the passing of the cited second movable rostrum 66 from the cited operative position YY to the cited non-operative one WW.