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US 5,182,894 AGranted
Packaging method and apparatus
AssigneeElmwood Packaging Machinery Ltd.
InventorFrederick D. Bate
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Packaging of articles or sets of articles (31) uses both of helical wrapping material (17) and incorporated longitudinal material (18). Helical wrapping station (14) in a gap (16) between infeed (12) and outfeed (13) conveyors passes helical wrapping material (17) transversely of the direction of travel of the article (31). The longitudinal band(s) of material (18) can serve for positively transporting the articles (31) across the gap (16).
Claims17
A method of packaging articles comprising the steps of:
- feeding articles in groups of lesser length than a gap between in-feed and out-feed conveyors for the articles, said articles being stood upright in said groups to be packaged together, said groups being spaced in the direction of feeding, said gap being conveyor-free;
- engaging said groups of articles with a band of highly flexible packaging sheet material that is continuous from group to group and moves across said gap in the direction of feeding with said spaced groups of upright articles;
- causing said band of material to exert a tractive force on said engaged groups of articles and to draw said groups of articles across said gap;
- and
- helically wrapping a highly flexible and stretchable sheet material about said groups of articles and said band in said gap, so that the band and the groups of articles are incorporated into overall packaging of the groups of articles.
2 more elements
Apparatus for packaging articles comprising:
- a wrapping station for wrapping groups of articles;
- first conveyor means for moving groups of unpackaged upright articles that are spaced apart in a direction of feed therealong to said wrapping station;
- means for feeding a first sheet of continuous, highly flexible sheet material in said direction to form a continuous sheet from group to group;
- second conveyor means spaced apart from said first conveyor means to define a conveyor-free gap coincident with said wrapping station for causing said first sheet material to exert a tractive force on said groups and to draw said groups to said helical wrapping station while maintaining said spaced apart relationship between said groups;
- means for helically wrapping a second flexible sheet material about said groups and said first sheet material by passing said second sheet material transverse to said direction of feed in said wrapping station, thereby incorporating said first sheet material into an overall packaging of said spaced groups of upright articles.
2 more elements
A method of packaging articles, comprising the steps of:
- feeding articles successively in one direction to and through a station in a predetermined spatial relationship between desired packagings of the articles and said articles being free of mutual support, said station comprising in-feed and out-feed conveyors having a conveyor-free gap inbetween that is longer in said one direction than said articles;
- continuously feeding a first sheet material in said one direction throughout successive desired packagings to form a continuous sheet from article to article, including drawing the first sheet material through the station in transport-aiding engagement with said articles to draw said articles across said conveyor-free gap;
- and
- helically wrapping said first sheet in with the articles at the station with a second sheet moving transversally of said one direction to form part of a final packaging comprising said first and second sheet materials.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.