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US 4,305,240 AGranted
Package forming and sealing apparatus
AssigneeDomain Industries, Inc.
InventorsJohn J. Grevich, John J. Gardetto, Garry H. Russell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A package forming and sealing machine receiving articles confined within a conveyed tubular wrapper of sheet material, a rotor having sealing and cutting heads radially adjustable for changing the span between adjacent heads on the periphery of the rotor, there being a swingable jaw and a stationary jaw on each of the heads, a locking linkage to operate the swingable jaw, a rotary shaft to operate the linkage, and substantially continuously driven from a sprocket through a disengageable clutch operated by a trip arm and stationary stop cams also radially adjustable with respect to the rotor axis, a chain loop embracing revolving sprockets on the rotor to produce operation of the swingable sealing jaws.
Claims33
A package processing machine receiving an elongate conveyed sheet material wrapper, comprising
- a rotor with peripheral portions moving at the speed of the elongate conveyed wrapper,
- a plurality of jaw heads on the rotor and regularly spaced about the peripheral portions thereof, the heads having closable and openable jaws arranged to transversely grip and hold the elongate wrapper which extends between adjacent jaws and partially around the rotor at said peripheral portions,
- the heads having operating means for opening and closing the jaws,
- radial means slidably mounting the jaw heads on the rotor for radial inward and outward movement,
- an elongate peripheral actuator extending peripherally of the rotor and engaging the operating means of each of the heads and producing opening and closing of the jaws as the rotor revolves, the rotor revolving relative to the peripheral actuator, said peripheral actuator being peripherally distensible and constrictable and thereby being radially movable relative to the rotor, and
- coordinated means simultaneously moving all of the jaw heads radially of the rotor and correspondingly radially moving portions of the peripheral actuator to maintain the engaging relation to the operating means of the heads and thereby accommodate desired closing and opening of the jaws relative to various lengths of the wrapper.
3 more elements
A package forming and sealing machine receiving a conveyed sheet material wrapper including opposed surfaces confronting each other and producing discrete packages formed therefrom, comprising
- rotor with the peripheral portions moving at the speed of the conveyed wrapper,
- a plurality of sealing heads on the rotor and regularly spaced about the periphery thereof, the heads having sealing jaws to transversly grip and seal the conveyed wrapper into discrete sealed packages which are formed and located between adjacent jaws and extend partially around the rotor at said peripheral portions,
- operating means for opening and closing the jaws to receive the conveyed wrapper and release the sealed packages, the operating means including a plurality of rotary shafts each on a respective head for operating one of the jaws thereof, a plurality of sprockets each connected with a respective shaft, the sprockets being disposed adjacent each other around the periphery of the rotor,
- an endless chain having a loop trained around the periphery of the rotor and engaged with the sprockets to produce a rolling of the sprockets along the chain as the rotor is turned, whereby to operate the jaws,
- radial means slidably mounting the sealing heads on the rotor for radial inward and outward movement, and
- coordinated means simultaneously moving all of the sealing heads including said shafts radially of the rotor to accommodate the production of sealed packages of various lengths.
3 more elements
A package forming and sealing machine receiving a conveyed sheet material wrapper including opposed surfaces confronting each other and producing discrete packages formed therefrom, comprising
- a rotor with peripheral portions moving at the speed of the conveyed wrapper,
- a plurality of sealing heads on the rotor and regularly spaced about the periphery thereof, the heads having sealing jaws arranged to transversly grip and seal the conveyed wrapper into discrete packages which are formed and located between adjacent jaws and extend partially around the rotor at said peripheral portions,
- operating means for opening and closing the jaws to receive the conveyed wrapper and release the sealed packages, the operating means including plurality of rotary shafts each on a respective head for operating one of the jaws thereof, the operating means also including power input means supplying rotary power for each of the shafts throughout the significant portions of the cycle of the rotor, and clutch means for each shaft interruptibly connecting the power input means to the shaft, the clutch means for each shaft having a releasable detent means sequentially retaining the jaws in the closed sealing phase and in the open package releasing phase, each phase continuing for a significant portion of the rotary cycle of the rotor,
- radial means slidably mounting the sealing heads on the rotor for radial inward and outward movement, and
- coordinated means simultaneously moving all of the sealing heads radially of the rotor to accommodate production of sealed packages of various lengths.
2 more elements
A package forming and sealing machine receiving a conveyed sheet material wrapper including opposed surfaces confronting each other and producing discrete packages formed therefrom, comprising
- a rotor with peripheral portions moving at the speed of the conveyed wrapper,
- a plurality of sealing heads on the rotor and regularly spaced about their periphery thereof, the heads having elongate sealing jaws arranged to transversly grip and seal the wrapper into discrete sealed packages which are formed and located between adjacent jaws and extend partially around the rotor at said peripheral portion, the jaws extending from the rotor and substantially parallel to the rotor axis, each head having an elongate cantilever frame mounting the jaws and having an inner end with a mounting block attached to the rotor, the cantilever frame also having an outer end remote from the rotor, one of the jaws of each head being stationary with the cantilever frame, the other jaw of each head being swingably mounted at one end of the cantilever frame for swinging toward and outwardly away from the stationary jaw and from the rotor axis between closed and open positions,
- operating means for opening and closing the jaws to receive the conveyed wrapper and release the sealed packages, the operating means including a swinging linkage for each head and connected with the swingable jaw and producing swinging thereof between closed and open positions, the linkage including multiple pivots moving to an over-center position when the swingable jaw is in closed position to effectively lock the jaw in closed position,
- radial means slidably mounting the sealing heads on the rotor for radial inward and outward movement, and
- coordinated means for simultaneously moving all of the sealing heads radially of the rotor to accommodate production of sealed packages of various lengths.
2 more elements
A package forming and sealing machine receiving a conveyed sheet material wrapper including opposed surfaces confronting each other and producing discrete packages formed therefrom, comprising
- a rotor with peripheral portions moving at the speed of the conveyed wrapper, a plurality of sealing heads on the rotor and regularly spaced about the periphery thereof, the heads having sealing jaws arranged to transversly grip and seal the conveyed wrapper into discrete sealed packages which are formed and located between adjacent jaws and extend partially around the rotor at said peripheral portions, at least one jaw of each of the heads being swingable relative to the other jaw, and
- operating means for opening and closing the jaws to receive the conveyed wrapper and release the sealed packages, the operating means also including a rotary shaft at each head having a crank arm which is connected by a linkage to said one swingable jaw for swinging the jaw between closed and open positions, a common drive connected to all of the shafts of the heads and producing coordinated rotation of the shafts as the rotor revolves, the common drive including an endless chain in a loop adjacent the peripheral portion of the rotor, and a plurality of sprockets, each on a respective head and connected with the rotary shaft thereof and engaging the loop of chain to roll thereon as the rotor revolves.
A package forming and sealing machine receiving a conveyed sheet material wrapper including opposed surfaces confronting each other and producing discrete packages formed therefrom, comprising
- a rotor with peripheral portions moving at the speed of the conveyed wrapper,
- a plurality of sealing heads on the rotor and regularly spaced about the periphery thereof, the heads having sealing jaws arranged to transversly grip and seal the tubular wrapper into discrete sealed packages which are formed and located between adjacent jaws and extend partially around the rotor at said peripheral portions, and
- operating means for opening and closing the jaws to receive the conveyed wrapper and release the formed packages, the operating means including rotary means on the heads to operate the jaws, a drive sprocket on each of the heads connected to said rotary means, and a chain with a loop adjacent the peripheral portions of the rotor and engaged with the sprockets of the heads, the sprockets rolling along the chain as the rotor turns to open and close the jaws.
A package forming and sealing machine receiving a conveyed sheet material wrapper including opposed surfaces confronting each other and producing discrete packages formed therefrom, comprising
- a rotor rotatably mounted on a frame with peripheral portions moving at the speed of the conveyed wrapper,
- a plurality of sealing heads on the rotor and regularly spaced about the periphery thereof,
- operating means connected with the revolving heads to effect the sealing and releasing of the wrapper and sealed and discrete packages formed therefrom, the operating means including an operable clutch for each head,
- radial means slidably mounting the sealing heads on the rotor for radial inward and outward movement,
- coordinated means simultaneously moving all of the sealing heads radially of the rotor to accommodate production of such discrete packages of various lengths, and
- a plurality of stationary cams mounted on said frame to operate the clutches on the heads as the rotor and heads revolve, and means for moving all of the stationary cams radially of the rotor axis to coordinate with the radial position of the heads when radially relocated by the coordinated means.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.