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US 4,060,957 AGranted
Method and apparatus for forming palletless packages
AssigneeFirma E. Mollers
InventorsRichard Birkenfeld, Reinhold Jaschke
Life of this patent
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AssigneeFirma E. Mollers
InventorsRichard Birkenfeld, Reinhold Jaschke
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for forming a palletless package having a plurality of layers of objects, the bottom layer of which is formed with cavities to receive the fork arms of a lift truck. A stack of the objects to be packaged is first formed in a palleting device by placing the objects in a plurality of layers each having the same base area. Then, an additional layer of objects is placed on top of the stack in such a way that at least two recessed cavities are formed on opposite sides of the additional layer. A first shrink-on foil bonnet is then pulled over the top of the completed stack in a bonnet pullover device and the stack is transported to a first shrinking furnace where the first bonnet is heat shrunk onto the stack. The stack is then transported to a turnover device where it is rotated 180.degree. so that the additional layer and the recessed cavities are repositioned to the bottom of the stack. The turned over stack is then transported to a second bonnet pullover device where a second shrink-on foil bonnet is pulled over the completed stack covering the end opposite the additional layer. The stack is then transported to an addtional shrinking furnace where the second bonnet is heat shrunk onto the completed stack and so that overlapping areas of the first and second shrink-on bonnets were welded together. Conveyor means are used for transporting the stack between the various operating devices.
A method of packaging objects in a palletless plastic foil package having cavities formed therein to receive fork arms of a lift truck, comprising the steps of stacking objects to be packaged into a plurality of layers each having the same base area and forming a stack having first and second end surfaces, placing an additional layer of objects to be packaged onto the first surface of said stack and having a base area different from the base area of said plurality of layers so that at least two recessed cavities are formed on opposite sides of said additional layer for receiving said fork arms and thus forming a completed stack, pulling a first shrink-on foil bonnet over the top of said completed stack covering said additional layer, shrinking said first bonnet onto said completed stack by application of heat, rotating said completed stack 180.degree. so that said additional layer is repositioned to the bottom of said completed stack, pulling a second shrink-on foil bonnet over the completed stack covering said second end surface of said stack and overlapping with said first shrink-on foil bonnet, shrinking said second bonnet onto said completed stack and welding said first and second bonnets together at areas of overlap by the application of heat.
An apparatus for packaging a plurality of objects in a pelletless plastic foil package having cavities formed therein to receive fork arms of a lift truck, comprising a palleting device for forming a stack of layers of objects to be packaged, a first bonnet pullover device for pulling a first shrink-on foil bonnet over said stack located downstream from said palleting device, a shrinking furnace located downstream from said first bonnet pullover device for heat shrinking said first shrink-on foil bonnet onto said stack, a turnover device located downstream from said shrinking furnace for rotating said stack 180.degree., a second bonnet pullover device located downstream from said turnover device for pulling a second shrink-on foil bonnet over said turned over stack, a second shrinking furnace located downstream from said second bonnet pullover device for heat shrinking said second shrink-on foil bonnet onto said stack, conveyor means extending through said palleting device, said first bonnet pullover device, said first shrinking furnace, said turnover device, said second bonnet pullover device and said second shrinking furnace, and means for transporting said stack from one device to the next.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.