Machine for skin packaging

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SKIN-PACKAGING OF ITEMS WHICH HAVE BEEN INSERTED INTO A PERFORMED ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING AN APERTURED SHEET HAVING A THERMO-STRETCHABLE, THERMO-SEALABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL ADHERED THERETO COVERING SAID APERTURE AND OVERLAPPING THE EDGES THEREOF AND WHEREIN SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL WITHIN SAID APERTURE HAS BEEN STRETCHED TO A CONFIGURATION CORRESPONDING TO SAID ITEM TO BE SKIN-PACKAGED AND WHEREIN SAID APERTURED SHEET HAS BEEN FOLDED UPON ITSELF SUCH THAT PORTIONS OF SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL OVERLAPPING THE EDGES OF SAID APERTURE ARE IN CONTACT, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF OPPOSITELY PARIED FEED ROLLERS AND A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF HEAT CONDUCTIVE TRANSVERSELY SPACED CONTIGUOUSLY PAIRED FEED BELTS DRIVABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FEED ROLLERS AND ADAPTED TO PRESSURABLY ENGAGE SAID APERTURED SHEET ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID APERTURE, A HEATING ENCLOSURE SURROUNDING AND ENCLOSING SAID FEED BELTS AND INCLUDING A HOT AIR CHAMBER AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING AND CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF A HEATED STREAM OF HOT GASES THERETHROUGH AND OVER AND AROUND SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL WITHIN SAID APERTURED SHEET, SAID HEATED STREAM OF GASES WITHIN SAID HOT AIR CHAMBER CAPABLE OF HEATING SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL WITHIN SAID APERTURE TO A FIRST TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL WHICH SAID APERTURE WILL REGAIN ITS MEMORY AND TEND TO RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE, A PLURALITY OF OPPOSINGLY SPACED HEATER ELEMENTS SPACED ALONG SAID CONDUCTIVE FEED BELTS TO TRANSFER HEAT ENERGY TO SAID CONTIGUOUS FEED BELTS, SAID PLURALITY OF HEATER ELEMENTS CAPABLE OF HEATING SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL ADJACENT AND OVERLAPPING SAID APERTURE TO A SECOND TEMPERATURE AT WHICH PORTIONS OF SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL OVERLAPPING SAID APERTURE AND IN CONTACT WILL ADHERE TO ONE ANOTHER, SAID PLURALITY OF FEED BELTS TRANSVERSELY SPACED SUCH THAT SAID PORTIONS OF SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL OVERLAPPING SAID APERTURE AND IN CONTACT ARE UNDER A PRESSURE WHICH WILL CAUSE SAID PORTIONS OF SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL IN CONTACT TO ADHERE TO ONE ANOTHER AFTER SAID PORTIONS OF PLASTIC MATERIAL IN CONTACT HAVE BEEN HEATED TO SAID SECOND TEMPERATURE, A DRIVE MECHANISM TO DRIVE SAID FEED ROLLERS AND SAID ASSOCIATED FEED BELTS SO THAT SAID STEM TO BE SKINPACKAGED AND SAID APERTURE SHEET ARE DRIVEN INTO AND OUT OF SAID APPARATUS, WHEREBY SAID PLSTIC MATERIAL WITHIN SAID APERTURE REGAINS ITS MEMORY AND TENDS TO RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE AND THEREBY STRETCHES TAUT AGAINST SAID ITEM WITHIN SAID APERTURE TURED SHEET AND SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL OVERLAPPING SAID APERTURE AND IN CONTACT ADHERE TO ONE ANOTHER AND SEAL SAID ITEM TO BE SKIN-PACKAGED WITHIN SAID APERTURED SHEET.