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US 5,282,349 AGranted
Sealing and packaging method and apparatus
AssigneeWeldotron of Delaware, Inc.
InventorMartin Siegel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A horizontal form fill packaging and sealing apparatus comprises a film dispenser and a film forming plow which, together with a roller guide, forms the film to be sealed into a tube with the free edges at the side. The object to be packaged is inserted into the film tube. The free edges of the film are longitudinally sealed together at the side of the package by a rotary heat sealer and immediately cooled to approximate impulse sealing, and a cross seal is made at the front and back of the object to be packaged. The excess gas in the package is pressed out by a presser before the back cross seal is made.
Claims53
A sealing and packaging apparatus, comprising:
- a film dispenser;
- a film forming device for receiving said film from said dispenser and for forming an enclosure into which an item to be packaged is inserted, said item together with said surrounding film forming a package;
- a first sealer for forming a first seal in said film in a plane, after said package has been formed;
- and
- a second sealer for forming a second seal in said film substantially perpendicular to said first seal and in substantially the same plane as said first seal, whereby said second seal is through substantially two layers of film at its intersection with said first seal;
- wherein said first sealer comprises a rotary thermal sealer immediately followed by a cooling roller assembly.
3 more elements
A form fill sealing and packaging apparatus, comprising:
- a film dispenser;
- a forming device for forming said dispensed film into an enclosure into which an item to be packaged is placed, said film being formed in such a way that the opposite edges of said film meet, said item and said film comprising a package;
- a first sealer for longitudinally sealing said opposite edges of said film at the side of said package;
- a preheater for heating the film before the first seal is formed comprising at least one heated roller wherein the opposite edges of the film are in contact with the heated roller;
- and
- a second sealer for cross sealing said film approximately perpendicular to said longitudinal seal, at the end of said package, whereby the longitudinal seal made by said first sealer and the cross seal made by said second sealer intersect at a corner of said package.
3 more elements
An apparatus for packaging food items in a modified gaseous atmosphere, comprising:
- a barrier film dispenser;
- a forming device for receiving said film from said dispenser and forming said film into a tube into which an item is placed, said film being formed such that the edges of said film are oriented at the side of the item;
- a gas flush system for flushing out the air in said tube and replacing it with a predetermined gas or mixture of gases;
- a longitudinal sealing device for forming a substantially hermetic longitudinal seal in said edges of said film at the side of said item comprising a thermal seal roller assembly and an adjacent cooling assembly;
- and
- a cross sealing device for forming a substantially hermetic cross seal in said film at an angle to said longitudinal seal.
3 more elements
A horizontal form fill packaging apparatus for sealing an item in a package of film, comprising:
- a film dispenser for dispensing folded film;
- a film forming plow disposed adjacent to said film dispenser for receiving said dispensed film and spreading apart the two layers of said film in preparation for the reception of said item;
- an input conveyor disposed adjacent to said film forming plow for depositing said item between said film layers, said item and film layers forming a package;
- means for moving said package through said packaging apparatus;
- a guide disposed at the side of said package, adapted to catch the edges of said film and bring said edges together, thereby forming said film layers into a closed tube around said item;
- a rotary thermal sealer disposed adjacent to said guide for forming a continuous longitudinal seal in said edges of said film;
- a cooling roller disposed adjacent to said rotary thermal sealer for cooling said longitudinal seal soon after said longitudinal seal is made to thereby approximate a hermetic longitudinal seal;
- and
- a cross sealer oriented to form a cross seal in said film layers after said longitudinal seal is made, said cross seal being substantially perpendicular to and in the same plane as said longitudinal seal, whereby the intersection of said longitudinal seal and said cross seal is located in the corner of said package through substantially two layers of said film.
6 more elements
A method for heat sealing film, comprising the steps of:
- dispensing film;
- forming said film in a tube to allow the insertion of said item;
- inserting said item into said tube;
- preheating said film by pressing it against a first sealing roller, between a first point and a second point on said first sealing roller;
- and
- sealing said film at said second point through heat and pressure.
3 more elements
A method for packaging an item, comprising the steps of:
- dispensing film;
- forming said film in a tube to allow the insertion of said item;
- inserting said item into said tube;
- drawing the opposite edges of said film together at the wide of said item;
- preheating the edges of the film;
- longitudinally sealing said opposite edges of said film;
- and
- cross sealing said film at an angle to said longitudinal seal, whereby said cross seal and said longitudinal seal intersect at the corner of said package;
- wherein the step of preheating includes the step of placing the film in thermal contact with a heated sealing roller between a first point and a second point on said heating roller, and said step of longitudinally sealing includes the step of sealing said film at said second point on said heated roller, through the application of heat and pressure.
6 more elements
A method for packaging an item, comprising the steps of:
- surrounding said item with a sheet of film, thereby forming a package having at least one open end and an open longitudinal seam formed by the opposite edges of said sheet of film;
- sealing said longitudinal seam by preheating said edges by passing the edges over at least one heated roller, pressing said edges against each other and applying heat;
- and
- sealing said open end in a linear cross seal through pressure and heat, such that said longitudinal seal intersects paid cross seal at one end of said cross seal, whereby the intersection of said longitudinal seal and said cross seal forms a corner of said package.
1 more element
A packaging apparatus for heat sealing film, comprising:
- a film dispenser;
- a film forming device for receiving film from said dispenser and for forming an enclosure into which an item to be packaged is inserted;
- and
- a sealing apparatus comprising:
- an intake roller;
- a first sealing roller pressed against said intake roller at first point, said film entering said apparatus at said first point;
- a second sealing roller pressed against said first sealing roller at a second point, said film being sealed through heat and pressure at said second point;
- whereby said film is pressed against said first sealing roller between said first and second points, thereby preheating said film before sealing.
5 more elements
A method for packaging food items in a modified gaseous atmosphere, comprising the steps of:
- dispensing a barrier film;
- forming said film into a tube into which an item is placed, said film being formed such that the edges of said film are oriented at the side of said item;
- flushing the air out of said tube and replacing it with a predetermined gas or mixture of gases;
- forming a substantially hermetic longitudinal seal in said edges of said film at the side of said item by preheating said edges along at least one heated roller, and then pressing said edges together while heating said edges;
- and
- forming a substantially hermetic cross seal in said film at an angle to and in the same plane as said longitudinal seal.
3 more elements
In a packaging apparatus for heat sealing film, said apparatus having a film dispenser and a film forming device for receiving film from said dispenser and for forming an enclosure into which an item to be packaged is inserted, a preheating sealing apparatus comprising:
- a heated sealing roller having a first axis of rotation, and a sealing bed roller having a second axis of rotation, the edges of said film adapted to be pressed together between said sealing roller and said sealing bed roller at a sealing point along a line connecting said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation to thereby seal said film edges, said sealing roller and said sealing bed roller being configured relative to said film such that said film edges are in thermal contact with said sealing roller prior to said sealing point along said line, said sealing roller thereby preheating said film edges prior to sealing said edges at said sealing point.
An apparatus for packaging items in stretch or stretch film shrink, comprising:
- a film dispenser;
- a film forming device for receiving said film from said dispenser and for forming an enclosure into which an item to be packaged is inserted, said item together with said surrounding film forming a package;
- a first sealer for forming a first seal in said film after said package has been formed;
- a second sealer for forming a second seal in said film substantially perpendicular to said first seal, whereby said second seal is through substantially two layers of film at its intersection with said first seal;
- and
- a device for folding said second seal and adjacent film against said item.
3 more elements
A method for packaging an item, comprising the steps of:
- surrounding said item with a sheet of film, thereby forming a package having at least one open end and an open longitudinal seam formed by the opposite edges of said sheet of film;
- sealing said longitudinal seam by preheating said edges, pressing said edges against each other and applying heat;
- flushing the air from said package before sealing, and replacing said air with a predetermined gas or gases;
- and
- sealing said open end in a linear cross seal through pressure and heat, such that said longitudinal seal intersects said cross seal at one end of said cross seal, whereby the intersection of said longitudinal seal and said cross seal forms a corner of said package.
2 more elements
A method for packaging an item, comprising the steps of:
- surrounding said item with a sheet of film, thereby forming a package having at least one open end and one open longitudinal seam formed by the opposite edges of said sheet of film;
- sealing said longitudinal seam by preheating said edges, pressing said edges against each other and applying heat;
- pressing excess air out of said package just before said package is completely sealed;
- and
- sealing said open end in a linear cross seal through pressure and heat, such that said longitudinal seal intersects said cross seal at one end of said cross seal, whereby the intersection of said longitudinal seal and said cross seal forms a corner of said package.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.