Packaging machine

Claim 1

A PACKAGING MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY WRAPPING ARTICLES IN A FILM OF MATERIAL OF THE TYPE WHICH IS FUSIBLE UNDER PRESSURE IN THE PRESENCE OF HEAT COMPRISING: A FIRST CONVEYOR FOR CONVEYING SAID ARTICLES ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, SAID CONVEYOR HAVING AN ENTRANCE END AND AN EXIT END IN THAT ORDER ALONG SAID PATH, A SECOND CONVEYOR HAVING AN ENTRANCE END ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM SAID EXIT END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR TO TRANSPORT SAID ARTICLES ALONG AN EXTENSION OF SAID PATH, SAID CONVEYORS ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN AT EQUAL SPEEDS, A WRAPPING UNIT INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ROLLS OF THERMOPLASTIC FILM, SAID ROLLS BEING ARRANGED ABOVE AND BELOW SAID CONVEYORS, SAID FILMS BEING FUSED TOGETHER BETWEEN SAID SPACED CONVEYORS TO FORM A SHEET EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO SAID PATH THROUGH THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID EXIT END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND SAID ENTRANCE END OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR WHEREBY THE ARTICLE TO BE WRAPPED STRIKES SAID SHEET AT SAID EXIT END OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND PULLS OFF THE NECESSARY LENGTH OF MATERIAL REQUIRED TO WRAP IT, A CONTROL MEANS ACTIVATED BY THE CONVEYANCE OF THE ARTICLE FOR STOPPING THE MOVEMENT OF THE CONVEYORS WHEN THE ARTICLE IS PLACED IN WRAPPING POSITION, A WRAPPER FASTENER MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID CONTROL MEANS WHEN THE ARTICLE IS PLACED IN WRAPPING POSITION, SAID WRAPPER FASTENER MEANS COMPRISING A PLATEN AND A PRESSURE BAR EACH HAVING A CROSS BAR, SAID PRESSURE BAR BEING MOVABLE VERTICALLY INTO AND OUT OF PRESSURE APPLYING CONTACT WITH THE PLATEN, SAID CROSS BARS BEING BIFURCATED, A KNIFE BLADE RETAINED BETWEEN THE BIFURCATED PORTIONS OF THE PRESSURE BAR CROSS BAR, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING ACTUATED BY THE CONVEYANCE OF THE ARTICLE TO BRING THE PRESSURE BAR AND PLATEN TOGETHER AT INTERMITTENT PERIODS FOR FUSING THE THERMOPLASTIC WEBS FROM THE PLURALITY OF ROLLS TOGETHER AT SPACED REGIONS, SAID KNIFE BEING ADAPTED TO EXTEND OUTWARDLY FROM THE SURFACE OF THE PRESSURE BAR AND BETWEEN THE BIFURCATED PORTIONS OF THE PLATEN TO CUT THE WEB BETWEEN SAID SPACED REGIONS.