Apparatus for line production of plant growth medium pots or bags
AssigneeEllepot A/S
InventorLars Peter Bilde Hansen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for line production of plant growth medium pots or bags with a closed bottom end includes the steps of: i) continuously folding the free end of a continuous length of water and air permeable sheet material into a sheet material tube around and beyond a free end of a growth medium feeding tube; ii) forming a first sealing in the sheet material tube; iii) filling the sheet material tube with a measured amount of growth medium; iv) forming a second sealing in the sheet material tube; v) separating the part of the sheet material tube positioned downstream from the second sealing to form a first plant growth medium pot or bag with a closed end, repeating as needed to form a plurality of plant growth medium pots or bags.
Claims3
An apparatus (100) for line production of plant growth medium pots or bags (30) each with a closed bottom end and an open top end, the apparatus comprising:
- a storage container (200) adapted for holding growth medium, and comprising a growth medium feeding tube (208) with a free end;
- wherein the storage container (200) is adapted for delivering dosages of growth medium through the growth medium feeding tube (208);
- folding means (300) adapted for continuously folding a free end of a continuous length of water and air permeable sheet material (10), supplied on a reel (20), into a sheet material tube (12) around the growth medium feeding tube (208);
- a suction chamber (400) adapted to be positioned around and beyond the free end of the growth medium feeding tube (208), and adapted to be in a) an open first configuration and b) in a closed second configuration;
- wherein when in the closed second configuration the suction chamber (400) encloses the free end of the growth medium feeding tube (208) and the sheet material tube formed around the growth medium feeding tube (208), and engages and flattens opposed walls of the sheet material tube at a predefined distance downstream from the free end of the growth medium feeding tube (208);
- and subsequently removes air out of the suction chamber (400), such that a dosage of growth medium in the storage container (200) is transported through the growth medium feeding tube (208) and into the sheet material tube within said suction chamber (400);
- a first sealing means (500) adapted for forming a sealing in the sheet material tube by engaging and flattening the opposed walls of the open end of the sheet material tube at a position downstream to the suction chamber (400);
- wherein the free end of the growth medium feeding tube (208) is configured with one or more perforations or slits (209) extending through its the growth medium feeding tube's walls;
- and
- cutting means (700) adapted for separating a formed plant growth pot or bag (30) from the continuous length of water permeable sheet material (10) by cutting downstream from the sealing to form a plant growth pot or bag (30) with an open top end and a closed bottom end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.