Device for packaging items

A device for packaging lollipops, comprising:

• a packaging conveyor having a series of holders rotating along a movement path for holding each lollipop and each lollipop's associated packaging sheet securely during conveying,
• a feed station for feeding the lollipops and the packaging sheets to the packaging conveyor and a discharge station for discharging the lollipops packaged on the packaging conveyor, the packaging conveyor being provided with means for closing the packaging sheet on the respective lollipop and with a series of heat-sealing means co-rotating with the holders for heat-sealing the closed packaging sheet by supplying heat, each of the heat-sealing means comprising a sheet gripper which is provided with a heating body, the device furthermore comprising heat-supplying means for heating each heating body, the heat-supplying means comprising induction means, that is stationary relative to the movement path of the holders, having a coil with an open end that is configured so that the coil receives the heating body in its entirety so that the coil heats the heating body by means of induction, wherein:
• the induction means are cooled only by natural convection;
• wherein at least one of the sheet gripper and the heating body comprises temperature measuring means;
• the induction means are controlled a control means based on the temperature measurement of the temperature measuring means;
• the induction means are turned on and off;
• the electrical resistance of the sheet gripper and/or the heating body is at least four times higher than the electrical resistance of a coil, which is part of the induction means;
• the induction means comprise the coil which is made of a lace material with very high electrical conductivity;
• and
• the control means are provided with a first memory for storing a desired value for the temperature of the heating bodies, the control means being designed for controlling the induction means for that heating body based on the result of a comparison between one of a value for the previous state of the control system for a heating body and the last measured value of a heating body with desired heating value of a heating body,
• wherein each heating body is adapted to contact and heat-seal the associated packaging sheet, by contacting the sheet after the heating body has been heated by induction, and
• wherein the heating body is movable from a first non-operating posit on in which the heating body is positioned for induction heating by the coil and a second operating position that is remote from the coil at which the heating body heats the sheet for sealing the sheet.

A device for packaging confectionary items, comprising:

• a packaging conveyor comprising:
• a series of holders configured to hold a confectionary item and the confectionery item's associated packaging sheet securely during conveying;
• a series of means for closing the associated packaging sheet on the respective confectionary item;
• a series of heat-sealing means co-rotating with the holders for heat-sealing the closed packaging sheet by supplying heat, each of the series of heat-sealing, means including a sheet gripper, wherein each sheet gripper includes a heating body that is adapted to contact and heat-seal the associated packaging sheet;
• a heating means located, in a stationary position relative to the movement path of the holders, near the packaging conveyor, for heating the heating bodies, the heating means comprising induction means for heating the heating bodies by means of induction,
• wherein the induction means are cooled at moat by natural convection,
• wherein the heating bodies of the heat-sealing means travel along garland-like path during rotation so that each of the heating bodies move into and out of the induction means so that the induction means heats each of the heating bodies.