Method and apparatus for manufacturing tea bags and the like
AssigneeDelamere & Williams Company Limited
InventorArthur A. Brooke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for manufacturing tea bags and the like is disclosed. The bags are made by forming a web into a flattened closed tube while continuously introducing tea and the like into the tube and pinching the tube at successive locations along transverse pinch lines corresponding generally to the required bag length. The tube is then caused to travel upwardly so that the tea tends to migrate downwardly under gravity and creates voided areas below the pinch locations and the tube is then heat sealed transversely in those voided areas. Finally, the bags are severed from the tube along lines disposed generally centrally of each transverse heat seal.
Claims17
A method of manufacturing tea bags and like comprising the steps of:
- continuously forming at least one web of a porous heat sealable material into a flattened, closed tube having opposed upper and lower walls while introducing a continuous stream of tea and the like into said tube;
- causing the tube to travel generally horizontally following said introduction of tea and the like;
- pinching the tube to cause said upper and lower walls to move towards one another at successive locations along pinch lines disposed transversely of the tube and spaced longitudinally of the tube to correspond generally to the required bag length;
- subsequently causing the tube to travel upwardly so that the tea and the like tends to migrate downwardly under gravity away from each said pinch line, creating a voided area immediately below each pinch line;
- heat sealing said upper and lower walls of the tube together along successive bands each disposed in one of said voided areas of the tube and extending transversely of the tube to form a heat seal;
- and,
- separating successive sections fron the tube to form individual tea and like bags or groups of such bags by severing the tube along lines each disposed generally centrally of one of said heat seals so that portions of each seal on opposite sides of said line form end seals of successive bags.
Apparatus for manufacturing tea bags and the like comprising:
- means for continuously conveying at least one web of a porous heat sealable material from a supply along a path which includes a generally horizontal portion, followed by an upward portion;
- means for forming said at least one web into a flattened closed tube having uper and lower walls while introducing a continuous stream of tea and the like into said tube;
- means for pinching the tube to cause said upper and lower walls of the travelling tube to move towards one another at successive locations along pinch lines disposed transversely of the tube while the tube is travelling along said generally horizontal portion of its path, said lines being spaced longitudinally of the tube to correspond to the required bag length, said pinching means being adapted to maintain the tube in its pinched condition along said upward portion of its path so that the tea and the like tends to migrate downwards under gravity away from each said pinch line, creating a voided area immediately below each said line;
- means fo heat sealing said upper and lower walls of the tube together along successive bands each disposed in one of said voided areas of the tube and extending transversely of the tube, to form a heat seal;
- means for separating successive sections from the tube to form individual tea and like bags or groups of bags, said means being adapted to sever the tube along lines each disposed generally centrally of one of said heat seals so that portions of each seal on opposite sides of said line form end seals of successive bags.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.