Bag and package making method

In a method of making a package continuously and in-line on a package-making machine, an improvement including the steps of:

• moving, in an intermittent manner, determined lengths of tubular thermoplastic open-mesh netting from a ball warp to a spreading device;
• spreading the netting as it is moved from the ball warp by internal means;
• rucking a supply of the spread-open netting around a mandrel;
• moving, on demand, sufficient netting, while maintained in the spread-open state, from and connected to the supply of rucked netting to make the package;
• and
• applying a closure across the netting while holding it in its spread-open state thereby forming a closure for the package.

An apparatus for use in continuously packaging in-line a product in tubular thermoplastic netting comprising:

• an unwind mechanism for holding a supply of continuous-length tubular netting in rope form on a ball warp,
• means for moving the netting from the unwind mechanism around an internal expanding device and onto a part thereof for storing the netting in rucked form;
• said expanding device and said unwind mechanism being located in-line on the apparatus,
• means for expanding the rucked netting in the machine direction and for intermittently moving such expanded netting, while maintained in the expanded state, to a bag forming mechanism having means for applying a label across the thus expanded netting at bag length intervals and
• means to sever the bag length of netting having a label from the remainder of the continuous-length thermoplastic netting to form a bag closed at one end by the label and open at the opposite end.

An apparatus for making a package using tubular open-mesh plastic netting comprising, in combination, in-line and operably connected together:

• means for storing a supply of such netting in continuous rope form;
• means for expanding such netting in the cross-machine direction;
• means for gathering such expanded netting in rucked form;
• means for a moving portion of such rucked netting in the machine direction and maintaining it as an expanded sleeve having substantially flat first and second sleeve parts, one atop the other;
• means for positioning a first strip across such expanded sleeve and adjacent to the outer surface of such first sleeve part;
• means for positioning a second strip across such expanded sleeve and adjacent to the outer surface of such second sleeve part and aligned with the first strip;
• at least one of such strips having an adhesive coating on its inner surface and such strips being positioned to extend substantially from one edge of such elongated sleeve to the other edge;
• means for adhering such first and second strips together through the open meshes of such expanded sleeve while holding it in its expanded state thereby to form a bottom closure for such package;
• means for severing such sleeve to make a bag having a bottom closure, expanded first and second sleeve parts, and an open end;
• means for inserting articles into such open end of such bag;
• and
• means for closing such open end of such bag to form the package.

An apparatus for making a package using open-mesh plastic netting in continuous rope form including in combination and in-line:

• means for expanding such netting in the cross-machine direction;
• means for gathering such expanded netting in rucked form;
• means for expanding a portion of such rucked netting in the machine direction and into an elongated sleeve having an open end and substantially flat first and second sleeve parts, one atop the other;
• means for moving a portion of this elongated sleeve while maintained in the expanded state into operative relationship with a closure applying means;
• means for holding such portion of the expanded sleeve in such operative relationship with such closure applying means;
• means for positioning a first strip across such portion of the sleeve and adjacent to the outer surface of such first sleeve part;
• means for positioning a second strip across such portion of the sleeve and adjacent to the outer surface of such second sleeve part and aligned with the first strip;
• at least one of such strips having an adhesive coating on its inner surface and such strips positioned to extend substantially from one edge of such sleeve to the other edge;
• means for adhering such first and second strips together through the open meshes of such portion of the sleeve while such portion of such expanded sleeve is held in such operative relationship with such closure means thereby to form a bottom closure for such package;
• means for severing such sleeve adjacent such bottom closure to make a bag;
• means for inserting articles into such open end of such bag;
• and
• means for closing such open end of such bag to form the package.