Individual package bagger and process
AssigneeAutomated Packaging Systems, Inc.
InventorsWilliam M. Cronauer, Bernard Lerner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A machine for forming individual packages from a web of preopened and interconnected bags one at a time is disclosed. A web is fed along a path of travel from a supply to a load station. A pair of nip rolls are positioned along the path near the load station. A printer is positioned along the path between the supply and the nip rolls. A nip roll drive is provided for rotating the nip rolls selectively and one at a time at a printing rate for the feed of the web when the printer is operating and at a faster feed rate for positioning a bag at the load station when the printer is not operating. A supply station tensioner is provided for tensioning a web along the path such that the printer when operating prints a section of a tensioned web.
Claims9
A process of packaging products to fill individual orders comprising:
- a) feeding a web of interconnected preopened bags along a path of travel from a supply to and through nip rolls to a load station and whereat the bags are successively filled and closed to fill orders;
- b) forming a package by inserting a product into an opened bag at the load station to fill an order;
- c) tensioning a web section between an upstream dancer mechanism and the nip rolls, the dancer mechanism being proximate the supply;
- and,
- d) while the package being formed is at the load station imprinting an end bag adjacent the nip rolls in the tensioned web section with at least a portion of identifying information for another order, said another order being the next order to be filled and the end bag having been connected to the opened bag.
A process of packaging individual discrete orders comprising:
- a) feeding a web of interconnected pre-opened bags along a path of travel from a supply then through a dancer thence to and through a printing station to a load station;
- b) using the dancer to tension a section of the web in the printing station;
- c) printing identifying indicia for a specific order on a bag included in the section and positioned in the printing station;
- d) further feeding the web to position the printed bag at the load station and a further bag at the printing station, the further bag being directly connected and adjacent to the printed bag;
- e) opening the printed bag and filling it with contents required for the specific order while the printed bag is at the load station;
- f) closing the printed and filled bag and separating it from the further bag and the web;
- g) printing the further bag concurrently with at least a portion of the performance of the opening, filling, closing and separating steps on the printed bag;
- and,
- h) repeating steps d through g to fill, close and separate the further bag and to print, fill, close and separate still further bags.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.