Encased product and method and apparatus for encasing same

Apparatus for encasing a plastic product comprising:

• a support;
• an elongated stuffing tube on said support and having a product receiving rearward end, a discharge forward end, and an outer surface,
• casing feed means mounted on said support adjacent said stuffing tube;
• an elongated strip of flexible material having opposite side edges, said strip having a first end portion wrapped around said tube in a plurality of helical revolutions with said side edges of said strip within each one of said helical revolutions frictionally engaging and overlapping said side edges of said strip within those of said helical revolutions adjacent said one helical revolution so as to form an elongated tubular casing about its longitudinal axis;
• means for introducing said plastic product into said rearward end of said tube and for forcing said product out of said tube through said forward end of said tube into said tubular casing;
• said strip having a second end portion mounted on said feed means and an intermediate portion extending from said feed means to said stuffing tube;
• said feed means being adapted to continuously feed said strip toward said stuffing tube to helically wind said strip on said tube;
• said overlapped edges of said casing strip being sufficiently overlapped to create enough frictional cohesiveness to maintain said helical revolutions in a self-contained tubular casing to contain said plastic product.

An apparatus for encasing a plastic product, comprising:

• a support;
• an elongated adhesive free casing strip having opposite side edges;
• first means on said support for forming said strip into a plurality of helical revolutions with said side edges of said strip within each one of said helical revolutions frictionally engaging and overlapping said side edges of said strip within those of said helical revolutions adjacent said one helical revolution so as to form an elongated tubular casing;
• said overlapped edges of said casing strip being sufficiently overlapped to create enough frictional cohesiveness to maintain said helical revolutions in a self-contained tubular casing to contain said plastic product;
• second means on said support for introducing said plastic product into said casing.

A method of encasing a product comprising:

• wrapping one end portion of an elongated casing strip around the outer cylindrical surface of an elongated stuffing tube, said stuffing tube having an inlet end and a discharge end, said casing strip having opposite side edges;
• rotating said one end portion of said casing strip about the cylindrical axis of said stuffing tube whereby the remaining portion of said casing will be drawing toward and wrapped around said stuffing tube;
• feeding said remaining portion of said casing strip toward said stuffing tube at an angle canted with respect to the cylindrical axis of said stuffing tube whereby said strip will be wrapped around said tube in a plurality of helical revolutions with said side edges of said strip of each revolution being in frictional overlapping engagement with said side edges in adjacent helical revolutions;
• overlapping said side edges of said strip sufficiently to create enough frictional cohesiveness to maintain said helical revolutions in a self-contained tubular casing to contain said plastic product;
• forcing said product through said tube from said inlet end to said discharge end and into said tubular casing.

A method for encasing a plastic product comprising:

• wrapping one end portion of an elongated adhesive-free casing strip around the outer surface of an elongated stuffing tube, said stuffing tube having an inlet end and a discharge end, said casing strip having opposite side edges;
• rotating said one end portion of said casing strip about the longitudinal axis of said stuffing tube whereby the remaining portion of said casing will be drawn toward and wrapped around said stuffing tube;
• feeding said remaining portion of said casing strip toward said stuffing tube at an angle canted with respect to the longitudinal axis of said stuffing tube whereby said strip will be wrapped around said tube in a plurality of helical revolutions with said side edges of said strip of each revolution being in frictional overlapping engagement with said side edges in adjacent helical revolutions to form a tubular casing;
• overlapping said side edges of said strip sufficiently to create enough frictional cohesiveness to maintain said helical revolutions in a self-contained tubular casing to contain said plastic product;
• forcing said plastic product through said tube from said inlet end to said discharge end and into said casing.